25,000 lawyers to get medical and housing package

KARACHI: Around 25,000 lawyers registered with various bar associations across the province are now entitled to a medical package, the Sindh government announced on Friday.

They will also be provided housing at all provincial districts, said Sindh Bar Council (SBC) vice-chairman and Law Minister Ayaz Soomro, who added that an official notification has been issued to hospitals across the province to provide medical facilities to lawyers.

According to the notice, senior lawyers can take advantage of the medical perks and privileges granted to Basic Pay Scale (BPS) 18 officers while the junior lawyers can avail the privileges granted to BPS 17 officers with immediate effect. These lawyers can also obtain all medicines free of cost.

“If the required medical facilities are not available at government hospitals, patients may be referred to other hospitals,” the law minister added.

A sum of Rs10 million has already been earmarked for the welfare of disabled lawyers in Sindh. Moreover, the federal government has approved grants amounting to Rs10 million while the provincial government has approved grants amounting to Rs50 million for members of the SBC, the law minister added.

“This is not aimed at buying the lawyers’ loyalties. The government wants to strengthen the legal fraternity,” Soomro said.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has sanctioned Rs100 million for the construction of the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Lawyers’ Housing Scheme in Larkana, said the law minister, who added that the government will also arrange for soft-term loans for those SBC officials who wish to construct their own houses at the lawyers’ housing schemes.

An SBC office and a hostel for its members will also be established in Clifton, said Soomro, who added that the provincial government is also discussing with Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry a Sindh High Court bench in Mirpurkhas.

A notification will shortly be issued, declaring all 33 members of SBC as justices of peace, the minister said. They will also be made members of the prisons improvement and welfare committees in their districts. “This is the first time in the history of Pakistan that lawyers have been provided with such facilities,” said Soomro.

123 lawyers appointed as Hesco’s legal advisers

The Sindh government has appointed 123 lawyers as legal advisors to the Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (Hesco) under a policy approved by Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, according to which, the Hesco authorities cannot entrust any new case to advocates outside a panel established by the Sindh law ministry.

The law department had earlier sent their names to the Pakistan Electric Power Company (Pepco) and Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda), which were approved and sent to the Hesco management.

According to the notice issued by Pepco, 13 legal advisers have been appointed in Karachi, 16 in Naushehro Feroze, nine in Sukkur, nine in Kamber-Shahdadkot, eight in Hyderabad, seven in Larkana, six in Khairpur, five in Badin, five in Dadu, five in Ghotki, five in Khashmore, five in Shaheed Benazirabad, five in Shikarpur, four in Jacobabad, four in Jamshoro, three in Tharparkar, three in Matiari, two in Mirpurkhas, two in Sanghar, two in Tando Muhammad Khan, two in Umerkot and one in Thatta.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 31^st, 2010.