The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has set up Legal Aid Desk Committees across the province to provide free legal assistance to poor and women prisoners facing criminal cases in different jails.
Director General Prosecution Rafiq Mohmand, while talking to media persons, said the committees started working last month. Their main responsibility is to review the cases of poor and women prisoners and arrange qualified lawyers to represent them in court free of cost.
He said that this initiative aims to ensure that no prisoner is denied legal representation or justice simply because they cannot afford to pay legal fees. Officials are currently collecting data on prisoners who may qualify for free legal assistance.
Eligible prisoners or their families can apply for legal aid by submitting applications at District Public Prosecution (DPP) offices, jail superintendent offices, or the offices of deputy commissioners and assistant commissioners across the province, he informed.
Mr Mohmand said the Legal Aid Desk Committees had remained inactive for years in District Public Prosecution offices across the province. As a result, many poor and women prisoners were unable to get proper legal representation and defend their cases in court. He said the government has reactivated the committees to ensure that deserving prisoners receive free legal support and have equal access to justice.
Read also:
