Interest-free loans to judges ‘unlawful, immoral’: Pakistan Bar Council

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) has strongly reacted to the approval of interest-free loans to 11 judges of the Lahore High Court (LHC) by the Punjab caretaker government, ARY News reported on Friday.

The Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) expressed reservations over the provision of interest-free loans to 11 LHC judges in easy instalments for 12 years.

In a press statement, the PBC spokesperson termed the Punjab caretaker government’s decision ‘unlawful, immoral and code violation’. It stated that it is illegal to provide loans from public funds.

The spokesperson said that 20 to 25% interest is being charged from the poor people, on the other hand, judges are being awarded interest-free loans alongside salaries and perks.

The council demanded the Punjab caretaker government to withdraw its notification.

Yesterday, it emerged that 11 judges of the Lahore High Court (LHC) will get interest-free loans worth over Rs360 million on easy instalments following the approval of the caretaker Punjab government.

The Punjab caretaker government approved the provision of interest-free loans worth over Rs360 million to 11 LHC judges. The loans will be interest-free and the judges would make repayments in 12 years.

It was learnt that the LHC judges have been awarded the loans equivalent to their 36 basic salaries of three years whose average amount is Rs31.5 million.

The approval was given by the Standing Committee for Finance of the Punjab caretaker cabinet.

The judges include Justice Rasaal Hasan Syed, Justice Shakil Ahmad, Justice Muhammad Tariq Nadeem, Justice Amjad Rafiq, Justice Abid Hussain Chattha, Justice Anwaar Hussain, Justice Ali Zia Bajwa, Justice Nadeem Arshad, Justice Salim Shahid, Justice Raza Qureshi and Justice Raheel Kamran.