On Friday, 29 November 2019, SAHSOL and the Rasheed Razvi Centre for Human Rights hosted Advocate Supreme Court, Faisal Siddiqi for a talk titled “Judiciary and Military: Paradox of continuing Collusion and increasing Conflict.” Advocate Siddiqi presented his working paper where he posed two questions: firstly, is the relationship between the judiciary and military one of continuous collaboration (as a judicial-military complex) with rare examples of conflict, or is it a much more complex and historically changing relationship? Secondly, what are the limitations and potentials of progressive legal politics in the context of judiciary and military relationship?
Using a variety of analytical tools, Advocate Siddiqui outlined how throughout Pakistan’s tumultuous constitutional history, there has been a slow and cautious retract of the military in its declarations of martial law, as demonstrated by the language of the instruments of martial law. He also noted the influence of colonialism and international politics on the behaviour of the superior courts. The talk was followed by a detailed question answer session by faculty, students and other legal academics.
Faisal Siddiqi is a leading Pakistani constitutional, civil and human rights lawyer. He is a one of the founders of two organizations; the Rasheed Razvi Centre for Constitutional and Human Rights and the Legal Aid Foundation for Victims of Rape and Sexual Assault. Mr. Siddiqi is an active member of the Board of Directors of Pakistan Institute for Labor Education and Research (PILER). He has been a Visiting Fellow at the London School of Economics, UK, and at McGill University, Canada.
