Missions in 12 countries start issuing inheritance certificates

PM says reforms in civil, criminal laws to ensure speedy justice.

ISLAMBAD:

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday said that the government was reforming the civil and criminal legal system to ensure effective and speedy justice for citizens.

Chairing a high-level meeting on civil law reforms, the prime minister said that for the first time since 1908, the government was making changes in the law to improve the mechanism for dispensation of justice.
The prime minister said that no government in the past ever thought about reforming the century-old laws to maintain the status quo and accommodate the elite.

He said that during the tenure of the present government, the judiciary was enjoying complete freedom. He added that prompt and guaranteed delivery of justice was directly linked to improved governance.
The meeting was briefed in detail on the reforms implemented during the three-year tenure and the future course of action.

It was highlighted that the provision of inheritance certificates under the new system started in January 2021 in Islamabad, June 2021 in Punjab and Sindh, and in December 2021 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Also, in Balochistan, work is in full swing on the passage of this law. So far, a total of 10,485 households have received inheritance certificates under the new system (within 15 days), it was added.

Moreover, the meeting was told that in 12 countries, 22 counters had been set up at Pakistani embassies to issue inheritance certificates.

It was also informed that under the law for the protection of women’s inheritance rights, around 136 out of 198 cases were decided in Islamabad, 122 out of 810 in Punjab, and 78 out of 421 in K-P.

 

Read More: "Inheritance disputes a burden for women"

The prime minister directed the implementation of reforms on a priority basis, strengthening linkages and enhancing cooperation between the institutions.

The meeting was attended by Federal Ministers Farogh Naseem, Chaudhry Fawad Hussain, Special Assistant Dr Shahbaz Gill, Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Bazdar, Parliamentary Secretary Law Ministry Maleeka Bokhari, and senior officials.

K-P Chief Minister Mahmood Khan and Provincial Law Ministers Raja Basharat, Fazal Shakur Khan and provincial officials concerned attended the meeting through video-link.