State-funded legal aid for poor launched
Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi said on Monday that a new initiative had been launched to provide assistance to poor litigants to hire legal representation at all levels of the judiciary at the state expense in order to ensure equitable access to justice for all citizens.
Chairing a meeting of the Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan (LJCP) at the Supreme Court Branch Registry in Quetta, he said that a senior representative would be posted in the high courts to liaise with district bar associations and supervise the ongoing justice sector initiatives at the grassroots level.
The LJCP meeting was held to review the institutional linkages between the bar associations in Balochistan and the LJCP with a view to strengthening justice delivery, said a press release issued here.
During the meeting, the chief justice announced that under the auspices of the LJCP, a new initiative had been launched to provide assistance to poor litigants to hire legal representation, at the state expense, at all levels of the judiciary – from magistrate courts to the Supreme Court.
Remuneration of up to Rs50,000 would be given through the District Legal Empowerment Committees, the press release said, adding that the bars might nominate qualified lawyers to the district judges, the high courts, and the Supreme Court in this regard.
He also said that the LJCP had decided to post a senior level representative in every province, who would sit in the high courts. These representatives would maintain liaison to raise awareness among district bar associations and identify local priority areas and supervise initiatives at the grassroots level.
On the occasion, Chief Justice Afridi urged bar representatives to sensitise their respective bar associations and proactively engage in judicial reform initiatives. He directed that the facilities extended to the bars by the government must be structured to ensure better cost for the money spent.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Express Tribune
an hour ago
- Express Tribune
IMF ties 4% tax removal to wider net
Listen to article Pakistan said on Thursday that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) did not allow it to abolish the additional 4% sales tax being collected from unregistered persons and instead linked the removal with a one-fourth increase in sales tax base. The supposedly punitive 4% extra tax is now a way of remaining outside the tax net as businesses feel comfortable with paying the additional tax and then recovering it through prices, instead of becoming part of the tax net. The IMF rejected a proposal to abolish 4% sales tax and asked to first register 50,000 more persons in the sales tax regime, said Dr Hamid Ateeq Sarwar, Member Inland Revenue Operations of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), during a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Finance. PPP Senator Saleem Mandviwalla chaired the meeting, which was convened to address concerns of the business community and recommend solutions. Mandviwalla supported efforts to discourage tax evasion and broaden the tax base. There are hardly 200,000 registered sales tax persons, of which only 60,000 pay any tax, said Sarwar, who is reaching the superannuation age this week after having a splendid career in the FBR. The government had introduced the additional tax to compel people to come into the tax net, which is charged over and above the standard 18% sales tax. However, the businesses passed the extra tax on to consumers and avoided the net. There were heated discussions in the meeting between the FBR and business leaders over the new punitive powers introduced in the budget. The military establishment has now intervened in the matter after traders observed strikes in Lahore and Karachi. The Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) held a meeting this week to resolve issues related to the FBR's arrest powers and adding back over Rs200,000 worth of expenses in cash to the income of businesses. After the intervention, the FBR seemed in a mood to address genuine concerns of the business community. Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Rehan Bharara questioned whether the FBR used its earlier punitive powers, including the disconnection of electricity and gas supply. Out of 380,000 industrial connections and 5 million commercial connections, only 5% were in the name of current allottees, thus, they could not be disconnected, said Hamid Ateeq Sarwar. The low collection from retailers remains one of the concerns but the FBR on Wednesday made a surprising claim before Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif that it got an additional Rs455 billion from the retail sector in the last fiscal year. The claim requires independent verification as there are concerns that some of the corporate sector firms are also included in the retail category. Officials of the FBR claimed that total income tax payments made by the retail sector in fiscal year 2024-25 were in fact Rs617 billion and the additional income tax was Rs455 billion. They said that the collection of Rs617 billion included Rs316 billion in quarterly advances given by three categories, wholesalers, retailers, traders and some companies. The surprising Rs316 billion in quarterly advances could be looked into with critical lenses due to the highly informal nature of the sector. Sources in the FBR told The Express Tribune that a loose definition of the retail sector was used, which included some corporate sector firms. Representatives of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) once again raised the issue of arrest powers and penalising the use of cash above Rs200,000 worth of purchases. Senator Anusha Rahman of the PML-N pointed out some loopholes in the newly approved tax laws, which could be exploited by taxmen against the business community. Minister of State for Finance Bilal Azhar Kayani said that the prime minister has instructed that harassment of taxpayers will not be tolerated at any cost and the government stands ready to take action if any businessperson is hurt by the misuse of arrest powers. Anusha Rahman said that the recently approved law empowers the arrest of taxpayers on "suspicion" and "reasons to believe". She recommended that no person should be arrested until the FBR has evidence of sales tax fraud. Hamid Ateeq Sarwar said that the government could not amend the law before the next budget but those concerns would be addressed through a subordinate legislation by issuing an explanatory circular. However, PTI Senator Mohsin Aziz said that the subordinate legislation could not supersede the law. Immediate amendments to tax laws would reflect poorly on the standing committees that debated those amendments, parliament that approved the laws and the government that proposed them, remarked Saleem Mandviwalla. Sarwar came down hard on business leaders, saying that in the past two years attempts were made for a whopping Rs2.2 trillion worth of sales tax fraud and the FBR registered FIRs against those people. "If anyone has doubt, we can arrange their meetings with these people in jail," he said.
Express Tribune
5 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Employees protest abolition of 17,000 posts
Class-IV government employees across Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa have strongly protested the provincial government's decision to abolish 17,000 vacant posts in various departments. In response, employees have threatened to boycott work and launch a province-wide protest campaign. According to official sources, the provincial government has finalized a plan to eliminate the vacant Class-IV positions — including those of watchmen, peons, gardeners, and sanitation workers — and replace them with daily wage appointments. The finance department has reportedly submitted formal recommendations to senior authorities, with implementation expected soon. Employee unions have reacted sharply, terming the move "oppressive" and a serious threat to the foundations of public service machinery. In an initial joint meeting held by employees from various departments, union leaders vowed resistance and hinted at launching a protest movement. On Thursday, Class-IV workers held a demonstration, chanting slogans against the government and demanding immediate withdrawal of the policy. Speaking to the media, Akbar Khan Mohmand, President of the Class-IV Employees Union, said, "The government is trying to shift the burden of the financial crisis onto low-paid workers who barely earn Rs20,000 to Rs25,000 a month. If budget cuts are needed, they should start by trimming redundant senior officers who are drawing multiple salaries for the same duties." Press Secretary Qasim Khan argued that essential departments such as education, health, local government, and irrigation cannot function without Class-IV employees. "Hiring daily wagers in their place will severely impact institutional performance," he warned. General Secretary Ashfaq Khattak accused the government of double standards. "On one hand, they are scrapping essential staff positions, and on the other, administrative posts are multiplying within departments," he said. "New authorities and projects are being launched regularly, with fresh recruitment under way." The union has demanded immediate reversal of the policy, warning that failure to do so will force employees to take to the streets and paralyze the government machinery.
Business Recorder
a day ago
- Business Recorder
Employees continue protest against USC shutdown
ISLAMABAD: Employees of the Utility Stores Corporation of Pakistan (USC) continued their protest on Wednesday against the shutting down of Utility Stores by the federal government across the country. Organised under the Joint Action Committee of USC, hundreds of workers staged a sit-in outside the USC headquarters in Islamabad, demanding an immediate reversal of the closure decision. Protesters chanted slogans against the government and vowed to continue their demonstration until their demands are met. The demonstrators warned that closing down Utility Stores would worsen inflation and push thousands of workers into unemployment. 'Shutting down Utility Stores would be like handing over 260 million citizens to the mafias of inflation,' one protester said. They also alleged that the government's move violates national labour and privatisation laws. Due to the protest and heightened security measures, heavy traffic congestion was witnessed on roads leading to the Red Zone, particularly around the Parliament House, as authorities braced to avert possible movement of protesters towards the Red Zone. Addressing the rally, senior Pakistan People's Party (PPP) leader Chaudhry Manzoor Hussain strongly criticised the government's privatisation policy. He said they are not just selling off Utility Stores; they are selling institutions such as Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation Ltd (Passco) as well. 'Tell me, is there any institution they do not want to sell?' He reminded the crowd that Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had established the USC to eliminate profiteering and provide affordable daily essentials to the public under one roof. Manzoor rejected the government's justification that Utility Stores are being shut down due to financial losses. He responded to official claims that Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) now fulfills the need: 'BISP does not support those earning Rs25,000 to Rs30,000 monthly. Where will they go?' He also criticised the government's failure to implement its own minimum wage policy, claiming that the motive behind the closures is not reform but corruption and profiteering. 'They want to loot the system, and we will not let them do it,' he added. Addressing public concerns over PPP's role in the federal government, Manzoor clarified: 'We are not part of the government. Being part of the government means having the prime minister or your ministers in the cabinet. We only support the government's good actions — we are not part of their corruption.' Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
