Lahore, 10 Oct 2023:In a ground-breaking collaboration aimed at reinforcing the criminal justice system and amplifying legal awareness, Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) and Punjab Prisons, Government of Punjab, have officially entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), as per a press release issued by the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS). The three-year agreement engages students and faculty from the Shaikh Ahmad Hassan School (SAHSOL) at LUMS with Punjab Prisons to administer paralegal training for inmates, ensuring they are thoroughly acquainted with their legal rights.
The legal training will be meticulously crafted by SAHSOL’s faculty and students, operational under the soon-to-be-initiated Legal Aid Clinics at SAHSOL. Concurrently, Punjab Prisons will establish a case referral process. The initiative will see law students assisting inmates with their bail petitions, facilitating a more informed and equitable legal process.
The signing ceremony saw Dr. Sadaf Aziz, Dean, SAHSOL, inaugurate the event, while Professor Angbeen Atif Mirza and Dr. Qadeer Alam, AIG Prisons, shared insights into the framework of the collaboration. Mian Farooq Nazir, IG Prisons, and Dr. Tariq Jadoon, Acting Vice Chancellor and Provost, LUMS, were the signatories to the MoU.
Honourable Justice Abid Aziz Shaikh, representing the Lahore High Court, and Dr. Parvez Hassan, Member, Board of Trustees, LUMS and Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of Pakistan, were present to grace the occasion with their esteemed presence.
Dr. Jadoon, during his speech, expressed his elation, stating, “We are delighted to announce our partnership with Punjab Prisons, a collaboration that reflects our unwavering commitment to education with tangible real-world outcomes.”
In a subsequent discourse, Dr. Alam shed light on the partnership’s potential to generate evidence-based policy proposals targeted at reforming the criminal justice sector. The session culminated with Mr. Mian Farooq Nazir, IG Prisons, elucidating ongoing efforts by Punjab Prisons towards transitioning to a reformative justice system, marking a pivotal stride towards a more enlightened and fair legal framework within the province.