ISLAMABAD, Nov 07 (APP): Federal Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar informed the Senate on Friday that all law libraries within the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) had been digitized and converted into e-libraries to facilitate lawyers and litigants.
He said that the initiative was part of broader reforms aimed at improving access to justice and capacity building for legal professionals across the country. The minister clarified that the Access to Justice Programme, launched in 2001 with support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), was a funded programme based on a soft loan, which continued for several years and was extended for five more before it formally concluded in 2018.
Tarar explained that although the ADB-funded project had ended, the government’s own justice-related development initiatives were continuing. “Now the federal government is financing these projects from its own resources,” he said.
The minister briefed the House that since he assumed charge in 2022 and apart from the caretaker period, several major initiatives had been taken to modernize judicial infrastructure and support lawyers’ welfare. He said the Lawyers Facilitation Centre being constructed on 3.5 acres near Islamabad’s district courts was around 80 percent complete and would become functional by the end of this year.
He said two key infrastructure projects worth around Rs 4 to 5 billion were ongoing, while an Arbitration and Mediation Centre had already been launched, conducting training programmes for lawyers and judges through bar councils and judicial academies in all provinces.
Tarar informed that the Pakistan Code mobile application had made all federal laws easily accessible year-wise and subject-wise to lawyers and citizens nationwide. He added that the Case Assignment and Management System (CAMS), developed with the support of UNDP and the Canadian government, enabled real-time tracking of pending federal cases and ensured accountability of litigation officers.
He said the federal government had significantly increased funding for bar councils and lawyers’ welfare schemes, allocating Rs 70 crore this year compared to Rs 10 to 12 crore previously. The funds were used to improve bar libraries, day-care centres for female lawyers, and capacity-building facilities.
The minister added that efforts were also underway to digitize lawyers’ records and link provincial bar councils and associations with the courts. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, he said, work had already started with initial funding of Rs 60 million, making it the first province expected to achieve full digital integration.
Senator Dinesh Kumar appreciated the government’s initiatives and commended Azam Nazeer Tarar for clarifying the facts. “I initially thought the programme had ended in 2018, but I am glad to know it continues — which is indeed a positive and welcome development,” he said.
Tarar reaffirmed that ensuring access to justice and strengthening the judicial system remained a constitutional responsibility. “We are focusing on digitization, infrastructure development, and capacity building — not just constructing buildings but shaping minds,” he said.