KARACHI, Jan 11: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has decided to introduce a five-year LLB degree programme in public sector universities and degree-awarding institutions.

The National Curriculum Revision Committee (NCRC) meeting held recently at the HEC headquarters, Islamabad, reviewed the plan. NCRC members were apprised of the setting up of a law university of international standards.

A project prepared for the purpose has been approved by the Planning Commission to establish the main campus of the university in Islamabad and two sub-campuses, one each in Lahore and Karachi. In the second phase, two more campuses, one each in Peshawar and Quetta, will be established.

Prof Ahmed Ali Khan, Project Director of the National Law University, said that most of the work to make the law university functional had been completed and the classes at the Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi campuses would start in March 2008.

Explaining the salient features of the proposed five-year LLB curriculum, he said an effort had been made to bring the new scheme in line with the modern curricula offered by top class universities of the world.

The scheme envisages a broad understanding of the social, political and economic contexts within which the Pakistani and global legal system operates.

Prof Riazul Haq Tariq, Member Academics (HEC), highlighting the significance of the legal studies, said that with the support of the HEC and the Pakistan Bar Council, an “accreditation centre” for law colleges would be set up at the HEC to scrutinise the performance of all private and public sector law colleges.

The committee thoroughly reviewed the proposed curriculum and prepared another draft curriculum which would be sent to all members of NCRC for their comments and suggestions.

Prof Ahmad Ali Khan, Project Director, National Law University, Islamabad; Dr Amjad Hussain Bukhari, Project Coordinator, National Law University, Karachi Campus; Mr Hamid Khan, Chairman, Legal Education Commission, Pakistan Bar Council; Dr A.Q. Sial, Islamia University, Bahawalpur; Prof Abdur Rashid, Chairman, Department of Law, University of Sargodha; Barrister Arbab Adnan Kasi, Principal, University Law College, Quetta; Prof Abdul Malik, Principal Law College, Gomal University, D.I. Khan; Prof Ahmad Ali Sheikh, Principal, Hyderabad Law College, Hyderabad; Mr Nadeem Azam, Law College, University of Peshawar; Dr Fayyazur Rehman, Chairman, Department of Law, Hazara University, Mansehra; and Mr Yahya Omer Afridi, Advocate Supreme Court of Pakistan, Peshawar, attended the meeting.

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