PESHAWAR - Peshawar High Court Chief Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth on Saturday inaugurated the first-ever Child Court in Ghalanai, headquarters of Mohmand tribal district.
The child protection court is the first of its kind in the newly merged districts and the fourth one in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Additional District and Sessions Judge Wali Muhammad has been posed as presiding officer for the Child Court.
Addressing the inaugural ceremony, PHC Chief Justice said that children under 14 years of age were almost 35% of the country’s population so they could not be ignored.
He said last year the PHC initiated a plan to establish a chain of child courts throughout KP, starting with Peshawar, then the divisional headquarters and finally in each district of KP. “It is a big stride forward in juvenile justice system unmatched by any other province so far,” he said.
Later addressing news conference, PHC Registrar Khwaja Wajih-ud-Din talked about the performance of three Child Courts functioning in Peshawar, Mardan and Abbottabad districts. “The courts have disposed of 1140 cases related to children in conflict and in contact with law, 93% of which were boys and 7% girls,” he said.
“Children in conflict with law tried in pilot child courts numbered 512, all being boys.
