Hart’s Legal World and the Case of Asia Bibi

Kamran Adil1

While discussing the law and morality, H. L. A. Hart stated:
“Reflection on this aspect of things reveals a sobering truth: the step from
the simple form of society, where primary rules of obligation are the only
means of social control, into the legal world with its centrally organized
legislature, courts, officials, and sanctions brings its solid gains at a
certain cost.”2 (emphasis supplied)
In contradistinction to Hart’s ‘legal world’ that comprises legal institutions and
procedures, the judgement in Asia Bibi Case3 was pegged into religious reasoning.