Quetta — The European Union Delegation and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in collaboration with the Government of Balochistan and rule of law stakeholders, convened the 8th Provincial Steering Committee (PSC) meeting of the Rule of Law Roadmap in Quetta. The Rule of Law Roadmap of Balochistan is financially supported by the European Union which fully funds the 10 million euro (Deliver Justice Project that is being implemented by UNODC, UNDP and UN Women. The project focuses on improving institutional performance, enhancing citizen access to justice, and reinforcing accountability mechanisms across the province.
Chaired by Muhammad Hamza Shafqaat, Additional Chief Secretary of the Home Department, the meeting brought together representatives from European Union Delegation, provincial stakeholders, and development partners. Participants reviewed progress achieved since the last PSC meeting, and agreed on coordinated priorities to strengthen institutional capacity across the province for citizen-centric justice delivery.
Key achievements include the Government of Balochistan’s decision to seek Cabinet approval of five Criminal Justice Acts that will modernize legal processes and strengthen accountability; the approval of the revised PC-I with a budget of PKR 632 million to operationalize rule of law reforms; and a recent stock take exercise confirming progress on Mid-Term Evaluation recommendations, while underscoring the need for stronger coordination, monitoring, and capacity building.
As the largest donor to Rule of Law reforms in Balochistan, the government appreciated the significant financial support from the European Union as a contribution towards stability, accountability, and good governance in Balochistan.
Jeroen Willems, Head of Cooperation at the Delegation of the European Union to Pakistan stated ’We have been partnering with the Balochistan authorities and judiciary to implement its Rule of Law Roadmap for the past 4 years and commend the progress made so far. We look forward to further deliverables in the coming 8 months, not least in areas to be addressed by the province under the GSP+ Scheme related to criminal justice, access to justice, child protection and human and gender rights’.
UNODC presented progress highlights, including the operationalization of Smart Police Stations across Quetta, Pishin, Loralai, Sibi, and Naseerabad. Participants appreciated how these reforms are improving public confidence in policing services. In addition, the meeting discussed strengthened case management systems and digital tools to improve efficiency across the justice chain. Capacity-building programs for prosecutors, prison officials, and police personnel were highlighted, alongside ongoing initiatives to integrate human rights standards into institutional practices.
Troels Vester, UNODC Country Representative in Pakistan, appreciated the support from the EU and continued commitment of the Government of Balochistan, underscoring UNODC’s role as a trusted partner in advancing evidence-based reforms for strengthening the justice sector in Balochistan. In his closing remarks, Muhammad Hamza Shafqaat, ACS, Home Department, appreciated the European Union for its financial support and UNODC, UNDP, and UN Women for their technical expertise and complementary roles, while reaffirming the Government of Balochistan’s commitment to strengthening the rule of law as a foundation for peace, justice, and development.
The PSC meeting concluded with an agreement on immediate priorities for the coming year, including the enactment of criminal justice Acts, Implementation of revised PC-I, Prison Reforms including operationalization and handover of PMIS, expansion of smart policing services, enhanced gender-responsive facilities in justice institutions, and scaling up data-driven monitoring of reforms.
Sohail Majeed is a Special Correspondent at The Diplomatic Insight. He has twelve plus years of experience in journalism & reporting. He covers International Affairs, Diplomacy, UN, Sports, Climate Change, Economy, Technology, and Health.
