Young lawyers issues in Balochistan

Juduciary is one of the three basic pillars of the state and the lawyers are its gems. The young lawyers go through many struggles in the intial stages of their careers in Pakistan, especially in Balochistan. The people choose this profession because they want to serve the nation justly and earn two ends meal for their families as soon as they graduate. However, after graduation when they start their practice, almost for two years, they don’t earn a single penny. They face serious livelihood issues. There are no internships for them in any government institution of Balochistan.

Competent lawyers do their level best and work hard for the law firms but all the credit is taken by the seniors and in return they get nothing. The Balochistan Bar is not providing any pecuniary assistance to them. While working as an associate, they can’t achieve their own goals and can’t make a name for themselves. They need more assistance and opportunities from their seniors so that they can gain more experience. Furthermore, they are not provided with bar licenses in the first six months after graduation, which means they can’t take up any case in the court until then. Many young lawyers have also complained about the conduct of their senior lawyers towards them. While talking to fresh graduates, a young lawyer said, “They show no interest in us and don’t mentor us passionately”. Another lawyer alleged, “We do all the hard work, research and compile the files for each and every case but the seniors entertain the clients and argue the case in the court. They don’t even let us speak to the clients about the case. Sometimes we even do the cleaning and dusting in the office and make tea for them.”

Young lawyers also need books in the initial stages of their practice, hence lawyers in Balochistan are also demanding for a library. There are no libraries in Balochistan specifically catering to the field of law. The books in the market are usually so expensive that the young lawyers can’t afford them. Therefore, they have also demanded the government to lower the prices of these books. Lawyers are also facing transportation issues in Quetta. It is hard for them to move back and forth between their chambers and courts. They have also brought their transportation issues many times to government’s notice demanding a shuttle service, but no serious action has been taken by the provincial government or by the Balochistan Bar Council yet.

The Honourable Ex Chief Justice Saqib Nisar amended the license obtaining process making it difficult to attain. The lawyers, after graduation, have to appear in Law Admission Test (LAT), after which they have to further clear an intimation test conducted by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) Pakistan. If a lawyer can’t clear this test in three attempts then he/she can’t qualify as a lawyer and the education hence acquired becomes useless. In case of clearing the intimation test, they are interviewed by the judges of the respective high courts who are often pressurized to select candidate with special references. The lawyers in Balochistan are as competent as those of the other provinces but this process is not easy to go through. Therefore, the freshly graduated lawyers demand a simplified and less time taking process.

The parking issue faced by the lawyers in Quetta recently became a scandal when a government official took action against the illegally parked cars. Majority of those cars belonged to lawyers. Young lawyers face much trouble in finding parking spots for their conveyances. The parking areas which are allotted to the lawyers by the government of Balochistan are occupied by the senior lawyers and there are no spots left for the young lawyers. Many of them had their bikes stolen just because they were parked in an unsafe area. Their vehicles get damaged when they park them on the sides of the roads. The government has provided them with parking areas which are not sufficient area wise as the number of lawyers is increasing day by day.

The lawyers observe strikes every Thursday all over Balochistan. This is being done because the section 22-A has been lifted and thus the judicial magistrate lost its power to register a FIR in case the SHO is not doing it. Lawyers are demanding immediate reversal of this decision. On April 25, the bar council of Pakistan called for a strike because the model courts are running the proceedings. Lawyers are against these courts because they pass their judgments within a week, leaving no time for the defendant and plaintiff to reach for a settlement.

The lawyers can be identified by their black and white uniform which makes them an easy target for the terrorists and target killers. Lawyers have likewise faced many security issues in the recent past but the government has not been able to take any serious action or solid steps for their security. It’s time for the government of Balochistan as well as for the Federal government to take effective actions in this regard, entertain the complaints through proper channel, ensure safety of and provide suitable working environment to the authorities responsible to ensure justice in our society.