QUETTA: Home Minister of Balochistan, Ziaullah Langua has lauded the United Nations and European Union partners for supporting the rule of law reform agenda of the government.
He made the remarks at the 7th Steering Committee meeting of the European Union-funded ‘Deliver Justice Project’, stated a press release issued on Wednesday.
He further said, “It is a journey that we all look forward to as we take the work under the new Rule of Law Roadmap to the next level to realize our vision of a people‑centered rule of law in Balochistan.” He also praised the Police, Levies, Prosecution, Probation and Parole, and Prisons for their commendable work in improving their legal and operational abilities.
Chairing the 7th Project Steering Committee meeting, Additional Chief Secretary (Home), Government of Balochistan, Zahid Saleem, congratulated all partners for their longstanding partnership with UNODC and other UN agencies, especially UN Women and UNDP.
He commended their institutional support by stressing the importance of achieving desired results while aligning ongoing efforts on police, legislative, prison, and women-focused reforms. Additionally, he highlighted the importance of citizen-centered and evidence-based rule of law measures.
During the meeting, key stakeholders reiterated their commitment to advancing evidence-based reforms in the rule of law sector to enhance public trust and confidence in law enforcement institutions in Balochistan. The Rule of Law Roadmap was approved initially for four years (2018–2022) and expired in May 2022. Later it was extended four years (2023–2026) to consolidate, sustain, scale up, and institutionalize good practices in the justice sector of Balochistan.
Jeroen Willems, Head of Cooperation, EU Delegation to Pakistan, underscoring the need for the government’s ownership and provision of matching resources for effective implementation of the Rule of Law Roadmap, stated that revalidated Rule of Law Roadmap 2023-2026 was vital in advancing peace, justice, security, particularly for women and girls. He also added that data-centric, results-based approaches remained the backbone of the roadmap, serving as a tool to monitor progress and make timely decisions, while citizen-centric interventions aimed to enhance public trust in the justice system.
Dr. Jeremy Milsom, Representative, UNODC Country Office, thanked the government of Balochistan for its commitment and vision in facilitating the revised roadmap. He also stressed the need for institutional leadership to embrace evidence-based approaches to improve performance, noting the effectiveness of such methodologies in order to measure institutional performance and implement robust reforms.
He expressed gratitude to the European Union for their continued support in enhancing the rule of law and transforming the Balochistan rule of law sector.
The Criminal Justice and Reforms Advisor from the UNODC Country Office in Pakistan, Arsalan Malik, presented the project updates and the 2024 work plan.
