KARACHI: The Sindh Assembly was informed on Wednesday that as many as 619 district courts existed across the province.

Furnishing a statement and replies to the lawmakers’ written and verbal queries during Question Hour in the house, Parliamentary Secretary on Law Ghanwer Ali Khan Isran said that the district courts included 27 district and session courts and 144 additional district and sessions court in the province.

Replying to a written question by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf member Adeeba Hassan, the parliamentary secretary said that the Prosecution Service Wing had offices of prosecutor general of Sindh and 27 district public prosecutors in each district of the province.

He said that the sanctioned strength of staff in the Prosecution Service Wing from BPS-1 to BPS 19 was 2,678, while currently there were 1,588 staff members that were working.

The parliamentary secretary had to cut a sorry figure when Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan member Rana Ansar asked him to tell the house how many women prosecutors were there in the province. He said that there was five per cent quota for women in the Prosecution Service Wing as in other departments.

Leader of the Opposition Firdous Shamim Naqvi rose to ask why only five per cent quota was fixed for women, who were half of the population.

In reply to a question asked by PTI member Dr Seema Zia, the parliamentary secretary said that no prosecutor was appointed by the provincial government for prisoners, but the prosecutors of different categories were being appointed on the recommendation of Sindh Public Service Commission and they were conducting prosecution on behalf of the state and not for the prisoners.

He further submitted that only private lawyers on state expenses were being appointed by the courts concerned for representing undertrial prisoners who were unable to engage attorneys due to financial constraints. “Remu­nerations and fees for pauper advocates are being paid by the provincial government through Criminal Prosecution Services Department,” he added.

Separately, he said that the purpose of prosecutors was to prosecute and not to defend, adding that legal aid for the UTPs involved in petty offences was also being provided by the provincial government.

Responding to a verbal query asked by Dr Zia, he said that the provincial government had paid pauper advocates in some 800 cases.

Giving details of the number of persons provided jobs in law department, he said that the advocate general, seven additional advocates general and 10 assistant advocates general were in special grades.

Replying to a question asked by Grand Democratic Alliance member Arif Jatoi, he said that the responsibility of the parliamentary secretary was defined in rule 7-A of the Sindh Government Rules of Business, 1986.

The parliamentary secretary stated that under the rule 7-A a parliamentary secretary for the department shall, subject to any general or special order, issued by the chief minister on this behalf, deal with such parliamentary affairs concerning that department as may be entrusted to him by the minister and perform such public relations and functions as may be entrusted to him by minister concerned.

Mr Isran said that the parliamentary secretaries in the provincial assembly were getting salary, allowances and perks and privileges under the Sindh Parliamentary Secretaries Act, 1974.

Responding to a verbal question, he said that five parliamentary secretaries were appointed in the provincial assembly.

When an opposition member pointed out that the appointment of parliamentary secretaries was a burden on the province’s resources, Mr Isran said that they were appointed under the existing laws and added that no one objected to the appointment of 37 parliamentary secretaries in the Punjab Assembly.

Published in Dawn, December 12th, 2019