November 18th, 2021
Staff Reporter
LAHORE
Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed is scheduled to address the inaugural session of the third Asma Jahangir Conference in the city on Saturday.
The conference is being held after a gap of two years as the gloom caused by Covid-19 lifts. A galaxy of legal experts, politicians, journalists, rights activists and other members of the civil society from Pakistan and abroad will gather for an exchange of ideas at the Asma Jahangir Conference on November 20-21.
The conference is going to be uniquely woven around seven themes. The Chief Justice of Pakistan, Mr. Justice Gulzar Ahmed, will speak in the inaugural session on “The Role of Judiciary in Protecting Human Rights & Strengthening Democracy”.
The session’s significance is going to be enhanced as it is going to include as speakers Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court, Mr Justice Muhammad Ameer Bhatti, and Chief Justice Athar Minallah of the Islamabad High Court.
Over 120 panelists from Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, European Union and the United States are scheduled to speak on various issues relating to human rights in the region.
The tone-setting first session is going to be titled ‘The role of the judiciary in protecting human rights and strengthening democracy’ — a topic that has gained even more importance given the current political situation in the country that has repeatedly drawn on the courts for remedies.
Justice Qazi Faez Isa of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, envoys of the European Union, Canada, United Kingdom and the Netherlands, and representatives of the UNDP and Amnesty International are going to speak at the session.
The seven themes of the conference are: The Afghan crisis, the right to dissent, violence against women, freedom of religion and belief, challenges to strengthening democracy in Pakistan, rights of the child, and state of the economy.
Dr. Shirin Ebadi, Nobel Peace Laureate from Iran, will speak in the session on Shrinking Civil Space in South Asia on Sunday.
Either day of the conference will be capped up by resolutions from sessions on subjects that are central to rule of law, democracy, and the uplift of the people. The curtains on the conference will be drawn by leading politicians and representatives of civil society on Sunday.
