ISLAMABAD: The Law Ministry disbursed over Rs 220 million during 2009-10 among various bar associations across the country, the Senate was told on Friday.
The said figures are much higher than the previous amount of over Rs 90 million meted out during 2008-9. In a written reply to a question raised by JUI-F Senator Hafiz Rashid Ahmed, Law Minister Babar Awan told the Upper House that the ministry was provided Rs 80 million as supplementary grants during 2008-09, whereas it had a total budget of Rs 10 million during that period.
The minister said that in the year 2009-10, around Rs 400 million was given to the ministry as supplementary grants, whereas its sanctioned budget was Rs 18 million. As per the written reply, over Rs 220 million was distributed among the bar association in 2009-10.
The hefty amounts were distributed among the bar associations as grant-in-aid for the betterment and strengthening of the associations, the written reply said. The comparison of the two years’ sanctioned budgets and subsequent release of huge money as supplementary grants for distribution among bar associations shows certain ultravires of the government.
Awan had been severely criticised during the last election of the Supreme Court Bar Association and it was been alleged that money was being distributed to split up lawyers and win their loyalties for a particular candidate.
