Theory of Reverse Discrimination and its Operationalization in the Legal System of Pakistan
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This research paper aims to exhaustively explore and elaborate the doctrine of reverse discrimination in the context of the legal system of Pakistan. It begins by examining the historical background of the concept through the contours of American jurisprudence that defined it whilst also exploring the dimensions of various English traditions of ethical philosophy that served as the conceptual cornerstone of the theory of reverse discrimination. This paper deploys comparative and doctrinal research methodologies to critically examine the implication of reverse discrimination in the legal strata of Pakistan. Following such definitional examination, it proceeds to analyze the position of this concept in the former and current constitutional frameworks of Pakistan. It argues that reverse discrimination is a viable solution to curb structural discrimination and inequality existing in the society, with reference to judgments tendered by the Supreme Court of Pakistan. Furthermore, this paper assesses penal statutes namely the Juvenile Justice System Act 2018 and Protection against Harassment of Women at the Workplace Act 2010 enacted pursuant to the goal of operationalizing the theory of reverse discrimination in the legal framework of Pakistan and in doing so shall examine the policy and statutory praxis of the doctrine in Pakistan. Lastly, it discusses the implications and consequences of deployment of reverse discrimination doctrine and affirmative action-based policy.
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