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Punjab introduces free legal aid for indigent prisoners across all jails

Lahore: The Punjab Home Department has launched a new initiative to provide free legal aid to indigent prisoners in all jails of the province. In line with the directive of Punjab's chief minister, the Punjab government has ensured that no poor prisoner would be deprived of legal assistance. According to spokesperson for the Home Department, the department has set up free legal aid committees in all 43 jails across the province. The committees would ensure that prisoners who could not afford legal representation for their cases were provided free legal aid.

The Home Department, in collaboration with the Punjab Bar Council and District Bar Associations, has formed the committees. Additionally, the Home Department has also issued the rules and regulations for providing free legal aid to prisoners. According to the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) issued by the department, the deputy superintendent of jail would identify prisoners who require a free lawyer. Every Tuesday, announcements regarding the availability of free legal aid would be made in the barracks to ensure all prisoners were informed. On Wednesdays, the list of needy prisoners would be sent to the relevant district's free legal aid committee.

The SOPs also state that deputy superintendent would arrange meetings between the prisoners and their appointed lawyers, ensuring all listed prisoners receive the legal assistance they were entitled to. The Jail superintendent, with the help of Bar Council president, would ensure that there were no obstacles in providing legal aid to prisoners. If lawyers were unavailable, the relevant deputy inspector general (DIG) of the region would inform the IG Prisons. In such cases, the IG, in coordination with the Punjab Bar Council, would ensure immediate availability of legal assistance.

Under the newly issued SOPs, each deputy superintendent (Judicial) was required to send the previous month's free legal aid records to the IG Office by the 5th of each month. Similarly, the IG Prisons would compile these details from across Punjab and send a final report to the Home Department by the 10th of each month. The report will include the number of prisoners who received legal aid and explain why any prisoners were unable to access it. The secretary Punjab Home Department has instructed the IG Prisons to strictly enforce the rules and regulations regarding free legal aid.

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ADC Hub inaugurates 7th Agriculture census on vision of PM

Quetta: The seventh agriculture census field operation in the district Hub was inaugurated by the focal person Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Ali Raza Khosa on Wednesday.

According to press release issued here, under the vision of the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Federal Minister for Planning and Development, Professor Ahsan Iqbal, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) has started the agricultural census across the country.

The seventh integrated digital count field operation of the agriculture census of Pakistan has started in the constituency Hub of the provincial Minister for agriculture and cooperative Mir Ali Hassan Zehri on the beginning of the new year.

The seventh agriculture census field operation in the district was inaugurated by the focal person Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Hub Ali Raza Khosa.

The agriculture census is the first of its kind in the history of the country. Landowners and livestock owners would also be counted in the field operation.

Initially, 311 master trainers have been trained in Islamabad and in the second phase, 6500 agriculture census staff and 1368 supervisors have been trained at the district level.

The main objective of the field operation is to collect credible data for policy making in the agriculture sector.

Currently, Pakistan is ranked 109th out of 127 countries in the world in terms of food shortages, agricultural census will be helpful in improving the situation of food shortages.

Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) General Hub appreciated the joint efforts of all departments, especially the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics and the Balochistan government, for conducting the seventh agricultural census in Hub.

ADC said that agricultural census will help increase the productivity of the country's agricultural commodities and reduce food shortages.

He said that the success of the agricultural census depends on the enumerators, he emphasized that the staff should fulfill their responsibilities and national responsibility with dedication and cheerfulness.

Posted on

ADC Hub inaugurates 7th Agriculture census on vision of PM

Quetta: The seventh agriculture census field operation in the district Hub was inaugurated by the focal person Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Ali Raza Khosa on Wednesday.

According to press release issued here, under the vision of the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Federal Minister for Planning and Development, Professor Ahsan Iqbal, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) has started the agricultural census across the country.

The seventh integrated digital count field operation of the agriculture census of Pakistan has started in the constituency Hub of the provincial Minister for agriculture and cooperative Mir Ali Hassan Zehri on the beginning of the new year.

The seventh agriculture census field operation in the district was inaugurated by the focal person Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Hub Ali Raza Khosa.

The agriculture census is the first of its kind in the history of the country. Landowners and livestock owners would also be counted in the field operation.

Initially, 311 master trainers have been trained in Islamabad and in the second phase, 6500 agriculture census staff and 1368 supervisors have been trained at the district level.

The main objective of the field operation is to collect credible data for policy making in the agriculture sector.

Currently, Pakistan is ranked 109th out of 127 countries in the world in terms of food shortages, agricultural census will be helpful in improving the situation of food shortages.

Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) General Hub appreciated the joint efforts of all departments, especially the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics and the Balochistan government, for conducting the seventh agricultural census in Hub.

ADC said that agricultural census will help increase the productivity of the country's agricultural commodities and reduce food shortages.

He said that the success of the agricultural census depends on the enumerators, he emphasized that the staff should fulfill their responsibilities and national responsibility with dedication and cheerfulness.

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AJK PM seeks more vibrant role for Kashmiri expatriates to highlight early solutions to the Kashmir issue


Mirpur: Kashmir-origin member of the British House of Lords, Lord Qurban Hussain on Wednesday, met with Azad Jammu Kashmir Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwar-ul-Haq, Prime Minister of the Azad at the Jammu and Kashmir House in the federal metropolis, and discussed matters of mutual interest, including the early peaceful settlement of the global issue of Kashmir, it was officially said.



The two leaders emphasized the need of strengthening ties between Azad Jammu Kashmir and the international community, raising the urgency of the early peaceful settlement of the Kashmir issue, an AJK govt. handout issued late Wednesday said.



Speaking on this occasion, the AJK Prime Minister called upon the Kashmiri diaspora, particularly the community in the United Kingdom, to play an active role in raising awareness about Kashmir’s plight. He urged that the British Parliament, along with other international forums, must join efforts to expose India’s atrocities in the region and advocate for the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination.



Anwar-ul-Haq also emphasized the need for greater cooperation in the fields of youth exchange programs for university students and the expansion of technical circles.



He underscored the importance of drawing international attention to the ongoing human rights violations in Indian-occupied Kashmir, particularly in light of the region’s ongoing struggle for freedom.



Prime Minister Haq also highlighted that the development and prosperity of Azad Kashmir remain top priorities for the government. He shared that significant progress is being made on several mega projects aimed at improving the welfare of the people, including plans to develop an airport in Mirpur. While the construction of an international airport had been proposed, a briefing revealed that it may not be feasible at this stage.



“However, the government is taking steps to prepare a feasibility study for the construction of a domestic airport in the region. In his remarks, Lord Qurban Hussain reassured the AJK Prime Minister that the British expatriate community would fully support efforts to highlight the Kashmir issue on the international stage, particularly within the British Parliament.



Lord Qurban praised the government’s developmental agenda, emphasizing that the region would be on the path of progress through practical measures that contribute to both economic growth and the welfare of the people.



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BBoIT, FPCCI to jointly organize Balochistan Summit 2025 in end January


Karachi: The Balochistan Summit 2025, aimed at promoting business, investment, joint ventures industrialization and global scale trade activities in the province, will be organized on January 27-28, 2025 in Islamabad.



The Balochistan Board of Investment and Trade (BBoIT) and Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FPCCI) will jointly organize the two day event, Atif Ikram Sheikh, President FPCCI, informed in a statement issued here on Tuesday.



The FPCCI chief reiterated apex body’s stance that Balochistan needs special attention of the government for flourishing economic activities and attract investment in the province including industrialization, tax waivers and incentives, setting up special economic zones (SEZs), establishing Bank of Balochistan on the lines of other provinces and maintenance of law and order.



Vice Chairman, Balochistan Board of Investment and Trade (BBoIT), Bilal Khan Kakar, explained that the motive behind taking FPCCI on-board this year is have the backing of the entire business, industry and trade community of Pakistan; and, ensuring their participation in the Balochistan Summit 2025 – as FPCCI represents all 284 chambers, trade bodies and industry associations of Pakistan across all sectors of the national economy.



Saquib Fayyaz Magoon, SVP FPCCI, maintained that like Bank of Punjab, Bank of Khyber and Sindh Bank, the federal and provincial governments should facilitate the establishment of the Bank of Balochistan to enhance industries’ access to finance. ‘Only a full-fledged and dedicated bank can fill the yawning vacuum in business and industrial financing in the province,’ he added.



Nasir Khan, VP FPCCI from Balochistan, highlighted shrinking youth employment opportunities and urged to support SME sector the real engine of growth and employment generation, and setting up an insurance company in Balochistan. He also proposed a public-private partnership (3P) model for setting up institutions or organizations that create and support an ecosystem for a thriving business environment.



Mian Zahid Hussain, Chairman FPCCI-PAB, highlighted the fact that the people of Balochistan are resilient; and, business, commercial, trade, investment, industrial and economic activities in the province are going on due to their dynamism. However, cottage industries and MSME sector should be protected to keep the provincial economy afloat.



Senior member FPCCI and former CPLC Chief Ahmed Chinoy, highlighted the need for a major marketing and PR campaign for Balochistan to attract domestic and foreign direct investment (FDI) into the province through assuring the investors and entrepreneurs full safety and security. FPCCI will be fully supporting the armed forces and the government in all such endeavors, he added.



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AJK PM seeks more vibrant role for Kashmiri expatriates to highlight early solutions to the Kashmir issue


Mirpur: Kashmir-origin member of the British House of Lords, Lord Qurban Hussain on Wednesday, met with Azad Jammu Kashmir Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwar-ul-Haq, Prime Minister of the Azad at the Jammu and Kashmir House in the federal metropolis, and discussed matters of mutual interest, including the early peaceful settlement of the global issue of Kashmir, it was officially said.



The two leaders emphasized the need of strengthening ties between Azad Jammu Kashmir and the international community, raising the urgency of the early peaceful settlement of the Kashmir issue, an AJK govt. handout issued late Wednesday said.



Speaking on this occasion, the AJK Prime Minister called upon the Kashmiri diaspora, particularly the community in the United Kingdom, to play an active role in raising awareness about Kashmir’s plight. He urged that the British Parliament, along with other international forums, must join efforts to expose India’s atrocities in the region and advocate for the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination.



Anwar-ul-Haq also emphasized the need for greater cooperation in the fields of youth exchange programs for university students and the expansion of technical circles.



He underscored the importance of drawing international attention to the ongoing human rights violations in Indian-occupied Kashmir, particularly in light of the region’s ongoing struggle for freedom.



Prime Minister Haq also highlighted that the development and prosperity of Azad Kashmir remain top priorities for the government. He shared that significant progress is being made on several mega projects aimed at improving the welfare of the people, including plans to develop an airport in Mirpur. While the construction of an international airport had been proposed, a briefing revealed that it may not be feasible at this stage.



“However, the government is taking steps to prepare a feasibility study for the construction of a domestic airport in the region. In his remarks, Lord Qurban Hussain reassured the AJK Prime Minister that the British expatriate community would fully support efforts to highlight the Kashmir issue on the international stage, particularly within the British Parliament.



Lord Qurban praised the government’s developmental agenda, emphasizing that the region would be on the path of progress through practical measures that contribute to both economic growth and the welfare of the people.