As Punjab Higher Education Commission (PHEC) has formally approved the establishment of Faculty of Law at University of Management and Technology (UMT), through letter No. PHEC(Acc)4-12/2015 dated 14 March 2017, the Registrar of UMT has asked Pakistan Bar Council (PBC), through letter No. UMT/ORG/2526/01/2017 dated 11 May 2017, to grant accreditation/recognition, at the earliest, to UMT’s LL.B. and LL.M. in Commercial Law programs.
UMT applied to PBC for the accreditation/recognition of its Five-Year LL.B. program through letter No. ORG/PBC/2526/001/01, dated 18 November 2013. Along with the required documents, UMT also submitted the prescribed fee of Rs.1500000.00 (rupees one-and-a-half million).
UMT applied for the accreditation/recognition of its LL.M. in Commercial Law program through letter No. UMT/ORG/2526/01/2016, dated 25 April 2016. Along with the required documents, UMT also submitted the prescribed fee of Rs.1000000.00 (rupees one million).
Throughout this period, PBC refrained from granting accreditation/recognition to the above-mentioned programs stating that UMT had no express authority to impart legal education. UMT maintained that it is authorized to impart education in the field of social science; consequently, it is authorized to impart legal education as well.
It must be pointed out that after UMT submitted its application in 2013, PBC granted accreditation/recognition to various universities that too did not have express authorization to impart legal education. Their charters did not expressly mention that these universities were allowed to impart legal education. Based on UMT’s best knowledge, their charters are still the same and have not been amended.
For instance, University of Lahore, situated in Lahore, was granted accreditation/recognition with effect from 26 December 2013. Section 4 of the University of Lahore Ordinance, 2002, provides:
The functions and powers of the University shall be-
(a) to provide for instruction and training in-
(i.) Management Sciences, Mathematical Sciences (Mathematics and Statistics), Social Sciences and Humanities (Economics), Information Technology (Computer Sciences, Electronics and Communications), Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Languages and Literature (English) and Pharmacy; and
(ii.)such other branches of (learning as the board of Governors may determine with the approval of the Patron given on the recommendation of a committee constituted by the Education Department:
Similarly, Leads University, situated in Lahore, was granted provisional accreditation/recognition with effect from 14 March 2015. Section 4 of the Lahore Leads University Act, 2011, provides:
The University shall:
(a) provide for instructions and training in–
(i.) business administration, commerce, computer sciences, banking & finance; and
(ii.) such other branches of knowledge, except medical, dental, allied health sciences or nursing education, as the Board may determine with the prior approval of the Chancellor, given on the recommendation of a committee constituted by the Government and, where applicable, subject to the prior approval of the relevant statutory body of a professional education;
Also, Bahria University, situated in Islamabad, was granted provisional accreditation/recognition with effect from 30 July 2015. Section 4 of the Bahria University Ordinance, 2000, provides:
(1) The purposes of the University shall be the promotion and dissemination of knowledge and technology and to provide for instruction, training, research, demonstration and service in such branches of learning as the Board may deem fit.
(2) The University shall be a fully autonomous body with freedom to govern its academic and administrative functions in order to achieve its objectives in general and in particular freedom to,---
(a) determine courses of study in management sciences, computer sciences, information and communication technology, professional psychology, naval sciences, war and strategic, studies, earth and environmental sciences and such other disciplines as it may determine;
In addition to the above-mentioned universities, provisional accreditation/recognition was granted to:Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University, situated in Peshawar, with effect from 14 March 2015; Qurtuba University, situated in D.I. Khan,with effect from 30 July 2015; and ShaheedZulfiqar Ali Bhutto University of Law, situated in Karachi,with effect from 14 November 2015. As can be noticed, except ShaheedZulfiqar Ali Bhutto University of Law, all theseuniversities are general universities. UMT is also a general university.
Still, in good faith, UMT applied to PHEC for the express authorization to impart legal education. Having inspected UMT’s law programs, campus, facilities, etc., PHEC has approved the establishment of Faculty of Law at UMT through letter No. PHEC(Acc)4-12/2015, dated 14 March 2017.
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