Law-102: The Pakistani Legal System

Course Description and Goal

The course is an introduction to the basics of the Pakistani Legal System. It assumes that
ordinary citizens are generally little acquainted with the system of law that governs them
and will therefore attempt to provide that acquaintance.

It is expected that by the end of the course students will have a clear basic idea of the
legal system of Pakistan enabling them to broadly understand the “whole business” of
rights, duties, and administration of law and justice as also the every day socio-political
debates that often seem to hinge on legal and constitutional questions.

There are no prerequisites for the course.

Required Texts

Selected readings including the Constitution of Pakistan 1973, Acts, Ordinances, case law
etc will be provided in the form of a “Course Reader”.

Lectures

This is a 3-unit course. There will be 28 sessions of 75 minutes each. Classes will meet
on Wednesday and Friday from 5:30 pm to 6:45 pm.

Grading:

Class Participation: 15% (10 + 5)

Unannounced Quizzes: 20% (10 +10)
Mid-Term Exam: 20%
Final Exam: 45%

Exam:

Closed book, closed notes. Clean copy of the Constitution permitted.

Course Schedule:

Introductory Introduction to the Course

Session 1: Course description and expectations

 The Constitution and other laws --The Legislature(s) – The Executive –
The Judiciary & Separation of Powers

Required Reading:
Preamble to the Constitution (The Objectives Resolution)
Articles 1-7 of the Constitution
Article 50 of the Constitution
The Quaid e Azam’s speech of 11th August 1947
Liaqat Ali Khan’s Speech of 7th March 1949 before the Constituent
Assembly.
Extracts from the speech of Bharat Chandra Mandal before the Constituent
Assembly.
The Fundamental Law of Pakistan by A.K. Brohi (pp. 70-71)

Module One The Constitution: The Legislature(s) the Executive and the Judiciary

Session 2: The President --The Parliament (Majlis e Shoora)

Required Reading:
Articles 41-49 of the Constitution
Articles 50-56 and 58-63A & 68 of the Constitution
Article 58 of the Constitution (Pre and Post 8th Amendment)

Session 3: Legislation by Parliament – Legislation by President—Legislative

relations between the Federation and Provinces

Required Reading:
Article 55 of the Constitution
Articles 70-77 & 141--144 of the Constitution
Article 89
4th Schedule to the Constitution
The Pakistan Citizenship Act 1951 (Section 1-6)
The NAB Ordinance (Section 1-2)

Session 4: The Governors & The Provincial Assemblies—Legislation by Provinces

& Governors

Required Reading:
 Articles 101-105 of the Constitution
Articles 106-110 &112-114 of the Constitution
Article 112 of the Constitution (Pre & Post 8th Amendment)
Article 112 of the Constitution (Post 13th Amendment)
Articles 55 of the Constitution
Articles 115-117 of the Constitution
Articles 127 & 128 of the Constitution
Articles 141-144 of the Constitution

4th Schedule to the Constitution

Session 5: The Federal Government and the Provincial Governments--Administrative

Relations between the Federation and Provinces—Amendments to the
Constitution (and other laws)---Attorney General & Advocates General

Required Reading:
Articles 90-100 of the Constitution
Articles 129-140 of the Constitution
Articles 145-152 of the Constitution
Articles 238-239 of the Constitution
Articles 57, 100, 111 and 140 of the Constitution

Session 6: Constitutional Courts--The Supreme Court, the High Courts and the
Federal Shariat Court—Removal of Judges

Required Reading:
Articles 175-183 of the Constitution
Articles 192-198 of the Constitution
Articles 203 A, 203B and 203C of the Constitution
Article 209, 210 & 211 of the Constitution

Module Two: Rights, Remedies, Procedures

Session 7: Substantive and procedural laws (civil and criminal)--Tort.

Required Reading:
Specimen Agreement
Articles 8-28 of the Constitution
 Civil Laws – Substantive: The Contract Act of 1872 – Ss. 1-30B & 37-41
Article 175 of the Constitution
Civil Courts Ordinance 1962
Civil Laws--Procedural: Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 – Ss. 1-3, 6 & 9-
14
Criminal Laws – Substantive: The Pakistan Penal Code 1860 – Ss. 1-5,
6-12, 24-25, 34-35, 53-55A, 65, 69, 76-110, 361-364
Criminal Laws—Procedural: Code of Criminal Procedure 1898 – Ss. 4-5,
6, 9-17, 28-35,
Qanun e Shahadat Order 1984: Art 117, 118, 119 and 120.

Session 8: Civil and criminal trials--Interim orders--Ordinary & Special laws

Required Reading:
Specimen Civil Suit
Specimen FIR
Civil Trial: Ss. 15-21; Order 4, Rule 1 & 2; Order 5, Rule 1 & 20; Order
6, Rule 1, 2 & 14; Order 7, Rule 1-5, 7 & 10; Order 8, Rule 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5;
Order 14, Rule 1, 2 & 3; Order 18, Rule 1,2 & 3; Order 20, Rule 1; Order
21, Rule 1; Order 39 Rule 1
Criminal Trial: Ss. 46-61 & 154-164, 190, 221, 265A—265K, 366-371,
374, 376, 497 & 498 and first two pages of the Second Schedule

Special Laws – Financial Institutions (Recovery of Finances) Ordinance of

2001 – Ss. 1, 2, 5, 9 & 10(1).

Session 9: Constitutional Remedies--Original Jurisdiction and Powers of

Constitutional Courts---Contempt of Court

Required Reading:
Articles 199, 201, 202 & 203 of the Constitution
Articles 184, 186, 186A, 187, 188-191 of the Constitution
Article 203 D of the Constitution
Article 204 of the Constitution.

Session 10 Appeal—Revision--Review—Arbitration--Time bars--Artificial Person

Rules & Regulations--Personal Laws--Ouster Clauses—Natural Justice
 Required Reading:
Article 185 and 203F (1) and 203 DD of the Constitution
Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 – Ss. 96, 100, 107, 109, 114
& 115
Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898 – Ss. 410, 411A, 412, 417 & 423
Arbitration Act, 1940 -- Ss. 13-19
The Limitation Act, 1908 – Ss. 1, 3, 4 & 5 & Articles 32-60 of the
First Schedule to the Limitation Act
Articles 48 (2) & (4), 69 and 236 (2) of the Constitution
NAB Ordinance 1999 S 9(b)
Artificial Person -- Black’s Law Dictionary, Page 1162
Natural Justice

Session 11: Mid Term Exam

Session 12: NAB Ordinance—A Trial

Required Reading:
Case material

Session 13: NAB Ordinance--- A Trial (continued)

Required Reading:
Case material
2003MLD777

Session 14: Dissolution of the National Assembly—Tariq Rahim’s Case--

Powers of the President

Required Reading:
PLD 1992 SC 646 (651-680)
PLD 1997 SC 84 (84 and 94)

Session 15: Dissolution of Provincial Assemblies

Required Reading
PLD 1989 Quetta 25 (31-44)
PLD 1990 Pesh 192 (197-211)

Session 16: Repugnancy of laws qua Fundamental Rights, the Constitution and
Shariah.
 Required Reading:
Articles 2-A & 8 of the Constitution
PLD 1973 SC 49 (57-90)
PLD 1998 SC 1445 (1445-1461)
PLD 1995 SC 66 (80-81)

Session 17: Right to Life—Shehla Zia’s Case

Required Reading:
PLD 1994 SC 693

Session 18: The Coup of 1999--The PCO--The Legal Framework Order (LFO)--The
17th Amendment.

Required Reading:
Articles of the Constitution Amended by the LFO
The 17th Amendment to the Constitution
PLD 2000 SC 869 – (pp. 869 & 912-917 & 1205-1223)

Session 19
& 20: Review