Plea for easing terms: Court seeks reply from top officials of loan scheme

Petitioner maintains that tough conditions may deprive women applicants from benefitting.

ISLAMABAD:

A local court has sought replies from top government officials on a petition calling for easing the process of Prime Minister’s Youth Loan Scheme applications for women.

Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Muhammad Anwar Khan Kasi on Wednesday issued notices to the Prime Minister’s principal secretary, youth programme chairperson, cabinet secretary and a government bank’s president, asking them to submit their comments by the next date of hearing, which will be fixed by the IHC registrar later.



Zahida Sami, a resident of Islamabad, filed the petition seeking court directions on easing the process so that women could benefit from the Rs100 billion Youth Business Loan scheme, launched in December 2013 by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

The petitioner’s counsel, Advocate Ahmed Nawaz Bhatti, argued that the scheme was launched to facilitate the youth. However, it is difficult for women to benefit from the scheme due to its complex and tough procedure, the petitioner claimed.

The lawyer argued it is difficult for them to find a guarantor — one of the compulsory conditions to get loans.

He said that “unnecessary conditions” such as guarantors should be waived for female applicants as they are unable to produce surety.

Bhatti maintained that the majority of women live in rural areas of the country, and they will be deprived of this scheme because of its tough procedures.

He contended that women might face harassment while seeking guarantors, especially in government offices.



Women-specific laws should be framed so that they could benefit from the scheme, he argued, requested the court to direct the officials to take steps in this regard.

The premier’s daughter, Maryam Nawaz, is the chairperson of the scheme — designed for 100,000 individuals to get loans through NBP and First Women Bank at 8 per cent mark-up.

The actual mark-up rate for the scheme is 15 per cent, with the government paying the remaining seven per cent.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 20^th, 2014.