PBC slams interest-free loans to LHC judges

Lawyers’ body says interim set-up’s decision ‘immoral and illegal’

ISLAMABAD/ LAHORE:

The Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) has expressed serious concerns over the caretaker government's decision to grant interest-free loans to 11 judges of the Lahore High Court “for their personal purposes”, demanding that the interim set-up should withdraw its plan immediately.

In a statement issued on Friday, PBC Vice-Chairman Haroonur Rashid and Executive Committee Chairman Hassan Raza Pasha described the decision as “immoral, illegal and a great loss to the public exchequer”, especially during the current deteriorating economic conditions of the country.

The PBC office-bearers said the practice of sanctioning loans out of the public resources for the judges was neither justified nor acceptable to the country’s people, who were already affected by hyperinflation.

They pointed out that the public at large and even the poor were being charged 20% to 25% interest on loans while a judge, who was withdrawing an attractive salary package and also enjoying other privileges, was receiving it without any returns.

The PBC officials maintained that the practice was against code of conduct of the judges as it amounted to discrimination and inequality.

They hoped that the LHC judges would refuse to accept these “unethical and unjustified” loans.

They noted that the All Pakistan Lawyers Representative Conference, held on Sept 5, demanded that the government should discontinue the privileges available to the upper class, including the judges.

The PBC office-bearers demanded that the caretaker Punjab government should immediately withdraw the purported notification for the interest-free loans to the 11 LHC judges when the people of Pakistan were facing massive inflation.

In a related development, a petition challenging the grant of interest-free loans was filed in the LHC against the earlier approval of the monetary facility extended to 11 judges of the high court.

“The act of respondents chief secretary, secretary S&GAD, secretary finance civil secretariat and judges amounts to violation of articles 2-A and 25 of the Constitution as it amounts to discrimination and inequality," the plea filed by the petitioner, Muhshkoor Hussain, read.

“The LHC judges had desired to avail the facility of interest-free loans equal to 36 basic pays for the purchase/construction of houses. Each judge has a basic pay to the tune of Rs912,862. The approval for the grant of the loan has been given by the cabinet standing committee for finance, and two of the judges have already received the interest-free loan amounting to Rs32.86 million each,” he added.

The petitioner underlined that the interest-free loan had been granted to Justice Ahmad Nadeem Arshad, Justice Safdar Saleem Shahid, Justice Rasaal Hasan Syed, Justice Shakil Ahmad, Justice Muhammad Tariq Nadeem, Justice Muhammad Amjad Rafique, Justice Abid Hussain Chattha, Justice Anwar Hussain, Justice Ali Zia Bajwa, Justice Muhammad Raza Qureshi, and Justice Raheel Kamran.