‘Interest-free’ loans to 11 LHC judges: PBC voices concern over Punjab govt’s decision

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) has expressed grave concern over the Punjab caretaker government’s decision for sanctioning a substantial amount as loan without interest for 11 judges of the Lahore High Court (LHC) for their personal purposes.

PBC vice-Chairman Haroonur Rashid and its Chairman Executive Committee Hassan Raza Pasha in a statement, issued on Friday, demanded the Punjab government to immediately withdraw the purported notification when the economic condition is already worse and the people of Pakistan are facing massive inflation.

They expected that the relevant judges of the LHC would refuse to accept this unethical and unjustified loan. Both the Council’s vice-chairman and chairman Executive Committee said that sanctioning substantial amount as loan without interest to the LHC judges is a great loss to the public exchequer, especially during the current worst economic condition of the country.

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They said this practice of sanctioning loan out of the public resources for the judges is neither justified nor acceptable to the people of Pakistan when the people are already affected by hyperinflation.

They further said that the public at large and even the poor are being charged 20 to 25 percent interest on loans while a judge who is withdrawing an attractive salary package and also enjoying other privileges is getting interest-free loan and that is against the code of conduct of the judges and since it amounts to discrimination and inequality.

They expressed that All Pakistan Lawyers Representative Conference, on 5th September 2023, demanded from the government that all the privileges already available to the privileged class including judges should be stopped forthwith.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023