Awaiting practical support: Judiciary’s funding request put on the back-burner

Contrary to its political rhetoric, the government appears least concerned about taking practical steps to ensure the common man receives expeditious justice.
Despite a lapse of eight months, and repeated reminders, it has shown no interest in providing the judiciary around Rs31 billion in funds for human resources and infrastructure development, leaving it helpless while an already massive backlog of cases piles up.
In stark contrast to this, the prime minister has spent close to Rs37 billion in just six months in a bid to lure voters as the general elections approach fast.

Official documents, copies of which are available with The Express Tribune, reveal that Chief Justice (CJ) Iftikhar Chaudhry, in a meeting of the Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan (LJCP) on May 19, 2012, asked the government to sanction  Rs31 billion in funds for strengthening human resources and infrastructure of the district judiciary in all four provinces.
The contents of a letter addressed to the prime minister’s principal secretary Muhammad Ayub Qazi and signed by the CJ and the LJCP chairman stated: “Realising the sensitivity of problems being faced by ordinary litigants due to a delay in the dispensation of justice, it has been decided that the number of judges in the district judiciary must be increased immediately.”

“As much as Rs31 billion is required (in this regard)… this includes Rs1.52 billion for human resources and infrastructure development in Balochistan, Rs5.032 billion for expenditures under a similar head in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Rs8.141 billion for Sindh and Rs16.08 billion for Punjab,” the letter reads further.

It sought to remind the PM’s secretary that ensuring the provision of inexpensive, expeditious justice was the equal responsibility of both the state and judiciary under article 37(d) of the Constitution and requested that the premier direct departments concerned to provide the required funds to the judiciary. Copies of the letter were also dispatched to the secretaries of the ministries of law, justice and parliamentary affairs, and Finance.
However, despite two reminders by the LJCP secretary to the PM’s principal secretary on November 29, 2012 and January 3, 2013 respectively, the government has shown no response to the request.