Free Legal Aid Karachi

The Legal Services Society (LAS) serves marginalized and disadvantaged communities to reduce access to justice challenges by providing legal assistance and support services. The Legal Services Society (LAS) serves marginalized and disadvantaged communities to reduce access to justice challenges by providing legal assistance and support services. LAS is a Pakistan-based non-profit organization founded in 2013 under the leadership of Justice Nasir Aslam Zahid, former Chief Justice of Sindh and former Supreme Court Justice. LAS has expanded its activities to 13 judicial districts in Sindh province and is headquartered in Karachi with district offices in Hyderabad, Sukkur, Larkana, Khairpur, Sanghar, Shaheed Benazirabad and Dadu. The people of Pakistan are so preoccupied with concerns about food, clothing and shelter that they do not think about the other basic rights they have, including justice. Sarim Burney Welfare Trust International is committed to social justice, for which the organisation has set up a legal aid committee made up of local and foreign professional lawyers. We provide high-quality legal assistance to the most vulnerable members of our country, whose human rights and basic needs are under threat and for whom there are significant obstacles to justice. With the aim of tackling injustice and crime, Sarim Burney Welfare Trust International provides legal services to: www.unodc.org/pakistan/en/free-legal-aid-support-by-unodc-released-more-than-500-utps-in-sindh.html Mission The mission is to connect vulnerable and disadvantaged justice end-users with effective and targeted justice delivery services. LAS begins by listening to the voices of the weak and deprived within the justice system and combines their needs with the values of justice, equity and inclusion to change the way we see and address current challenges to achieving justice in our society. The LAS recognizes that to ensure equality, it must challenge the unequal conditions that can harm women and girls and other marginalized parts of society. It is therefore committed to mainstreaming gender equality across its entire spectrum of work, with the aim of guaranteeing the principles of equality and non-discrimination between men and women. The event marked an important milestone for UNODC in supporting Prisoners on Trial (PCD) in Sindh`s 22 prisons by providing free legal assistance made possible through the kind support of the U.S. Department of State`s Bureau of International Drug Enforcement Affairs (INL).

Sarim Burney Welfare Trust International also focuses on Pakistanis who have survived crime, no matter what part of the world they are in. We support these individuals throughout the justice system process, including filling out submissions, signing petitions, filing appeals, and ensuring that they do not face a barrier to access to justice. Sarim Burney Welfare Trust International also recognises that people belonging to other countries and living in Pakistan should also have additional legal needs, which is why we provide them with the advice and assistance they need while supporting the stability not only of their well-being and their entire family. We helped Mr Caron Rawnslay, a British national, by asking him to waive his fine, pay his reduced fine and arrange his return trip to his country. The organization also helped two girls from Rwanda who faced adverse circumstances from their relatives in Pakistan and were falsely accused of crimes. Sarim Burney Welfare Trust International not only took care of them during their stay in Pakistan, but also made travel arrangements for them The project also established fruitful remittance links with civil society organisations, pro bono legal advisers and services to protect the rights of vulnerable prisoners, and has developed a coherent roadmap for the provision of free legal aid in Sindh. This has helped create a community of responsible legal aid service providers. Since its inception in 2017, the LEGAL AID project has made visible progress in delivering exemplary services by advocating for the importance of free legal aid and capacity building for the Sindh Department of Corrections.

The meeting brought together many well-known representatives of criminal justice institutions and the legal fraternity, who recognized the contribution. Stakeholders unanimously approved the terms of reference for the establishment and maintenance of a provider of free legal aid services within the Sindh Prison Department. This provided a solid basis for institutionalizing the provision of free legal aid to poor and vulnerable detainees. Jeremy Milsom, UNODC Representative – Pakistan, commended the vision and cooperation of the Department of Penitentiary, the Government of Sindh and the contribution of the project to strengthening the basic elements of a free and fair legal aid service for empowered and needy prisoners in Sindh prisons. The Mutual Legal Assistance Project is unique and has set a precedent by providing a combination of interventions that go a long way towards strengthening the provision of free and expeditious justice to those most in need, including vulnerable women, youth, minorities, older persons, persons with disabilities and all needy and poor unfair business practices who do not have access to legal aid. The project combines free legal aid with improved cooperation between police and law enforcement through training to support transparent and prompt investigation and fair trials. 25 May 2021, Karachi. The Pakistani government grants every citizen of the country the constitutional right to have access to prompt and low-cost justice when needed.

In addition, the provision of a free legal aid service to counsel poor and vulnerable prisoners who cannot afford to access the legal system is also a fundamental human right. In Pakistan, however, there are thousands of prisoners awaiting trial (PCDs) who languish in prisons for years simply because they lack financial resources or are unaware of the laws and legal rights in Pakistan. This is a harsh reality highlighted by Jeremy Milsom, UNODC Representative in Pakistan, at the fourth coordination meeting of the province`s Legal Aid Network in Karachi. Among other things, the provision of prompt justice to more than 500 prisoners (PCD) through free legal assistance has been hailed as an exemplary initiative for prison reform. These unfair trade practices include a large proportion of women, children, youth, minorities, persons with disabilities, the elderly, including poor and marginalized groups who do not have the means to be represented before the courts or who do not have access to the legal system. The legal aid project, led by UNODC in 22 sindh districts with support from the U.S. Department of State`s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement, has been providing free legal assistance for unfair trade practices in Sindh prisons since 2017. Efforts will be complemented by the training of investigators and prosecutors to improve their cooperation in criminal matters with a view to ensuring the free and fair provision of prompt justice. The organization takes a two-pronged approach to the broader context of access to justice in Pakistan. The first aspect of programming is to provide direct support on a case-by-case basis and on an individual basis through legal representation; Similar to filling gaps in the provision of legal aid.

The second aspect of programming aims to repair the system through the Legal Empowerment approach, which aims to expand common users` knowledge of the law in order to bring more access and change within the surrounding legal ecosystem. Sarim Burney Welfare Trust International also helps women who do not have easy access to justice and who have been deprived of their human rights in one way or another. We have seen women come into conflict with the unjust system, have been abused in all sorts of ways, have been victims of domestic violence, mutilation, acid attacks, forced marriages or been harassed for other heinous crimes. We have helped these women get custody of their children, get a protection order, et cetera. Sarim Burney Welfare Trust International believes that Pakistan has many excellent laws, rules and policies that people are not familiar with. Not only do we want to familiarize them with their well-deserved rights, but we also want to use the law for their own good. Sarim Burney also raised his voice against fake acquisitions and imprisonment. A dozen women are abducted almost daily in Karachi, and many go unreported. We want to put an end to unjust activities by providing legal assistance to the population. Whether your son is exploited abroad by his employer or you are facing domestic violence in Pakistan, we will look into your problems and find the perfect solution in light of Pakistani law. We also help families get compensation if their loved one (God forbid) dies in a foreign country due to a workplace or road accident. For this approach, we turn to the authorities of this country, write letters to human rights organizations, collaborate with other activists and therefore everything in our power to compensate the deceased family.

We believe that money cannot compensate for the loss, but it can make the hardship bearable for families who cannot afford to meet their daily needs. Legal aid and assistance: LAS provides free legal aid and representation to marginalized and vulnerable people before district and high courts in the justice and appeal phases. In addition, LAS operates the Sindh Legal Advisory Call Centre (LACC), which is its flagship project. It is a single, unique and toll-free helpline, as there is no intermediary or agent to receive the call – there is a direct link between an experienced lawyer and an appellant, with the aim of providing free and immediate access to legal counsel to disadvantaged and marginalized parts of society.