Society urged to bear cost of justice

‘Cost of cases for clients higher than average income of a Pakistani citizen’

ISLAMABAD: The society as a whole should bear the cost for providing access to the justice otherwise the true spirit of justice will remain mere a dream for excluded people in society.

This was stated by a study conducted by Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) School of Economics, Assistant Professor Dr Anwar Shah and his research team, a news release said.

The research project was funded by Higher Education Commission of Pakistan (HEC) under Thematic Research Grant.

Under the project an empirical analysis of the court cases in Islamabad was done. Dr Anwar Shah and his research team collected primary data from clients and lawyers fraternity in the district courts of Islamabad.



“We compare the cost of justice for clients on various types of cases across courts. The study shows that the average cost of almost all types of cases for clients is higher than the average income of a Pakistani citizen, showing the excludability of judicial structure of Pakistan,” Dr Shah said.

The average family income is calculated from Household Integrated Economics Survey 2015-16 (HIES). Bearing the financial burden of a case is a major toll on the income of people needs to be addressed,” said Dr Shah.



The study suggests establishment of a judicial system with a primary objective of settling the disputes of individuals within the society.

The flaw of the current structure is that it makes disputes among people as a source of earnings for a number of people associated with the current system.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 26^th, 2017.