A Study of Legal Aid Accessibility and English Language in Pakistan
Keywords:
Language Policy and Planning, Access to Justice, Language-Based Barriers, National Language, Official Language, Regional Languages, Local LanguageAbstract
English as the official language dominates the domain of legal services and its functions in Pakistan. Keeping a prevalent lack of English language proficiency in mind, access to justice becomes a major problem for those who are not proficient in the English language. This paper analyses the role of the English language in facilitating access to justice for the key participants i.e. litigants and lawyers etc. The analysis of the questionnaire and interview-based data confirms the entrenched position of the English language in the domain that discriminates against the less proficient users. The participants belonging to marginalized social, economic, and political strata, therefore, face hindrance in accessing justice due to lack of English language proficiency as compared to the mainstream elite social, economic, and political strata. The dominance of the English language in the domain of legal services thus associates with the formation and perpetuation of class differences in Pakistan. The paper proposes remedial steps including investment in the capacity building of judiciary to provide translation services to litigants, lawyers, and public. Further, it is proposed that substantive steps should be taken to incorporate the local and national languages in the functions of the judiciary.
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