Dilawar Khan

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

I am a lawyer with a passion to pay back to my community by providing the youth of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with the opportunity to access high quality legal education.

In the last two decades, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been subject to much conflict, resulting in large-scale human displacement. The province is still recovering and with the recent merger of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, an infusion of resources to build legal knowledge and capacity in the area is imperative. More so, keeping in mind the cultural sensitivities, the youth of the region—especially the female youth—are constrained in their options to pursue an internationally accredited legal education due to lack of tuition centers offering diplomas and certificates of higher education in common law and other law subjects within the province. Resultantly, many aspiring law students succumb to parental pressure and end up pursuing a more accessible degree within their city, while others have no option but to incur substantial financial costs in order to pursue an education that takes them far from their homes.

Having recognized this obvious interest and need in the region, I approached like-minded professionals with the idea to establish the Centre for Learning Law and Business (CLLB) in Peshawar. In order to realize this vision, I met numerous legal experts who guided me in setting up the Centre and offered their unreserved support in making it a success. As a team, we aspire to build the capacity of the youth of this region who are willing to invest their time, energy, and talent to pursue their dreams of acquiring an internationally recognized degree. Our efforts aim to provide the students in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with the opportunity to benefit from the University of London (UOL) program while staying close to home.

It is my belief that the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is on the cusp of a massive transition with the recent merger of the erstwhile FATA. The seven merged districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were formerly governed by the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR), a colonial-era British law introduced in 1901. The extension of Pakistan’s Constitution, laws, and judicial system to FATA in 2018 by virtue of its merger with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is likely to result in enormous legal challenges and a mismatch between expectation and reality for the citizens. These challenges would only be adding to the existing issues of the civil and criminal justice system of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which faces high court case pendency, overcrowded prisons, and a need for a transition toward documenting property rights in various districts. For all these reasons, there is an urgent need for undertaking research on legal issues in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which could then, not only address the aforementioned problems but also serve as a best-practice model for similar legal issues across the border in Afghanistan.

I am, therefore, convinced that the establishment of an institution such as the CLLB that caters to the youth by providing a quality legal education, is essential and necessary to fill the present void in the region.