Addressing the Rawalpindi Bar, Tarar said the government was taking measures to protect lawyers’ rights and resolve the issues faced by the legal community. He said suggestions from bar office bearers and lawyers would be given due importance and efforts would be made to address their concerns.
The federal law minister said he did not attend every event to avoid his participation being interpreted as a political activity. However, he said he had a special connection with Rawalpindi and was visiting the city for the third time.
Tarar said the proximity between Islamabad High Court and Rawalpindi meant that he remained in regular contact with lawyers in the area. He said this engagement with bar associations and the legal community would continue and steps would be taken within available resources to resolve their issues.
The law minister said lawyers had been struggling for around 25 years against professional difficulties, pressure and other challenges. He added that incidents of terrorism had also increased difficulties for the legal community, which had faced serious circumstances during different periods.
Tarar said the Lawyer Protection Act was passed during the tenure of the Pakistan Democratic Movement government, while rules were subsequently formulated for its implementation.
He said the legislation primarily covered two important areas. One concerns FIRs and cases against lawyers, while the other focuses on their welfare and the provision of professional facilities.
Tarar said effective implementation of the Lawyer Protection Act, rather than keeping it limited to the statute book, had remained his continued objective. He said the situation had improved compared with the past and the government was continuing efforts for effective enforcement of the law.
He said the law had also been amended to provide government support to bar councils and bar associations. Previously, the legislation only referred to bar councils, but bar associations were also included within its scope following the amendment.
According to Tarar, the purpose of the measure was to support representative organisations of lawyers in their welfare and development projects and help address basic issues faced by the legal community.
He said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had also directed that available resources be used as effectively as possible to improve and strengthen the legal profession.
Tarar also outlined an increase in the annual federal government grant for bars. He said that when he joined the Ministry of Law in 2022, the annual grant for bars stood at Rs100 million. It was later increased to Rs600 million and has now reached Rs800 million annually.
He said transparency was ensured in the use of funds provided to bars and that proper accounts were maintained. Funding was allocated while keeping the needs of bars across the country in view, he added.
The law minister thanked the Punjab government and Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, saying that funding for bars in the province had also been increased.
According to Tarar, the allocation for bars in Punjab was increased from Rs500 million to Rs1 billion. During the last financial year, Rs995 million was provided to bar associations across the province for lawyers’ welfare and development projects.
Tarar said the legal community had also put forward suggestions concerning legislation, the distribution of powers and other legal matters. He said these issues were being discussed at different forums and that existing ambiguities needed to be addressed.
He stressed the need for continued communication and consultation between the government and the legal community so that issues related to legislation and its implementation could be resolved through mutual consultation.
Tarar reiterated that efforts would continue to ensure effective implementation of laws for the protection and welfare of lawyers and to provide the support required by bar associations.
