Overview
The rights to equal access to justice and protection under the law are fundamental elements of the rule of law and various international instruments lay down obligations on State Parties to take affirmative action in order to establish protections for various classes of persons. The following sections provide an explanation of the protections accorded to women, persons with disabilities and religious minorities within the Criminal Justice System. The Section will begin by outlining the international human rights standards with regards to equality of treatment and the principle of non-discrimination. Within Constitutional and domestic law, the key focus of this Section will be to highlight the protections available for the above-identified vulnerable groups within Criminal Law in Pakistan to better delineate how cases related to these groups are dealt with.