After the Lawyers movement against the present regime, the government has not released over Rs 18 million in grants to nearly 230 bar associations of the country following its latest stand-off with lawyers over the suspension of the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.
Sources told this correspondent the government had yet to issue annual cash grants to almost all the bar associations of the country for the outgoing financial year 2006-07, and the amount might lapse, as the Law Ministry had so far not released the money.
Out of a total of 241 bar associations/councils, including the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) and high court bar associations, only 11 have received cash grants from the Law Ministry this year, said sources. Federal Minister for Law Wasi Zafar said that Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz wanted to distribute the cheques to the presidents of the bar associations in Islamabad at upcoming lawyers' convention.
However, Federal Secretary for Law Justice Mansoor Ahmed (Retd) has opposed the minister's proposal, suggesting instead delivering the grants to the respective bar associations through courier services said sources. The secretary asserted that the amount would have to be surrendered to the Ministry of Finance if not utilised before June 30, said sources.
The presidents or lawyers' representatives are unlikely to accept an invitation by the minister to attend the lawyers' convention just for the sake of the grants, he added.
"If the grants are not utilised during the current fiscal year, the Finance Ministry may curtail the allocation for use in the coming financial year," the secretary was quoted as saying. Sources added that the minister had turned down the secretary's idea and stood firm in his decision.
Zafar told newsmen the grants would not be blocked and would be released before the end of the current fiscal year. "Usually the ministry releases the cash grants to bar associations at the end of June and there is nothing to worry about. I assure you that the allocated amount would be disbursed among the beneficiaries," said Zafar.
The government had earmarked Rs 25 million as grants during fiscal year 2006-07 for the 241 bar associations of the country. Sources said only Rs 7 million of the Rs 25 million were given to eight bar associations on the directives of Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz.
According to the established formula, the SCBA gets Rs 500,000, high court bar associations receive Rs 300,000 each, district bar associations are granted Rs 200,000 each and tehsil bar associations get Rs 100,000 each.