Govt Plans Annual Judge Evaluation: Minister Azam Tarar

Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar announced on Saturday that the government is committed to improving legal education, enhancing professional training for lawyers, and ensuring effective administration of justice. At the inauguration of the Lawyers Education Academy at the Punjab Bar Council and a certificate distribution ceremony for successful participants of the Bar Vocational Course, Tarar said work was underway on introducing a comprehensive health insurance policy for lawyers and their families. The federal and Punjab governments are extending full support to the welfare of the legal fraternity.

Tarar stated that under the proposed health scheme, lawyers would be provided treatment for cancer, kidney, liver, and heart diseases at both public and private hospitals. He added that the Punjab government had released Rs1.35 billion in grants for bar associations and announced an additional Rs20 million for the Bar Vocational Course. The establishment of the Directorate of Legal Education at the Pakistan Bar Council is a major reform aimed at modernising legal education, according to Tarar.

Regarding judicial reforms, a seven-member committee has been constituted to ensure transparency and merit in the appointment of high court judges. The committee would interview candidates and submit its recommendations to the Judicial Commission. Tarar emphasized that judicial appointments must be based strictly on merit, questioning why high court judges should not undergo interviews when civil judges and additional sessions judges were required to pass examinations.

The minister also introduced a constitutional mechanism for the annual evaluation of judges’ performance through a Judges Evaluation Committee. Under the proposed system, this committee would review the performance of judges at the end of each year and may send a reference to the Judicial Commission if a judge’s performance is found unsatisfactory, recommending removal.

Commenting on constitutional reforms, Tarar said that the 28th Constitutional Amendment would not be introduced hastily but only after broad consultation. He noted that the legal fraternity, including the Supreme Court Bar Association and other bar councils, had supported the 26th and 27th Constitutional Amendments. Punjab Bar Council Executive Committee Chairman Fakhar Hayat Awan announced that the Bar Vocational Course has been mandatory since 2018, with no verification of law degrees by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) for issuing licences.

The ceremony was attended by Judicial Commission member Ahsan Bhoon and several senior office-bearers from the Pakistan and Punjab Bar Councils, along with a large number of lawyers.