Islamabad- September 9, 2012: The Institute of Social Justice (ISJ) termed incidents of fire in factories in Lahore and Karachi sheer ignorance, negligence and incompetence of Punjab and Sindh governments and their Labour Departments. Both governments and their labour departments are responsible for the murders of innocent workers including children.

In the press statement, the ISJ regretted over the human loss and said that factory in Lahore was established in residential area which is violation of the Labour Laws.

The ISJ said that both factories’ had not installed any of the precautionary and emergency measures through which inside the factory incidents of fire can be dealt. According to Section 25 of the Factories Act (Amended) 1997, the factories have to take precautionary measures in case of fire.

It is being reported that both factories lacked fire extinguisher tools and workers were not trained to meet such incidents. There were no proper arrangements to evacuate workers from factories. These factories have to provide means of escape in case of fire.

It is mainly because labour officials are bribed who do not bother to monitor implementation of labour laws which strictly demand for the adoption of procedures and methods, and installation of systems (fire system) to make safe and secure environment for workers.

The ISJ demanded that Supreme Court should take notice of these incidents and lodge FIRs against heads of both provincial governments and labour officials.

The ISJ also demanded to take notice of absence of health and safety measures/means in hundreds of factories across the country which have not taken single measures as prescribed in Chapter III (Health and Safety) of the Factories Act (Amended) 1997.

Islamabad- 14 September 2012: The Institute of Social Justice (ISJ) condemns making and release of the film (Innocence of Muslims) which has shocked and hurt not only the feelings and sentiments of people in Muslim world but across the globe who adhere to the values of peace, respect, religious harmony and tolerance. The ISJ urges all countries and World Wide Web to ban the release of the movie and its content (tailor). Heads of all the countries should categorically condemn the movie and its makers and do not allow anyone to humiliate others and their religions.

The ISJ press release said that such acts will not allow the peace lover human rights activists and NGOs in promoting the religious tolerance and harmony in countries where Muslims are in majority. This is difficult and testing time for people of all religious belief in Muslim world, therefore, the ISJ pleaded all the religious groups to stay in peace so that hate mongers do not become successful in creating restlessness in the Muslim world.

Speakers at a seminar on ‘Global Day of Social Justice and the Role of Lawyer Fraternity’ jointly organized by the Institute for Social Justice (ISJ) and the Islamabad High Court Bar Association (IHCBA) at the bar room, urged the lawyer fraternity to play its role to address injustice in society.

On the occasion, advocate Rafaqat Ali from the ISJ said that Islam is a religion of social justice which does not allow for the concentration of wealth in few hands. He urged for land reforms, abolition of slavery and fair distribution of resources among all people.

Abdullah Khoso from the Child Rights Movement (CRM) said that lawyers can contribute in building a just society by doing pro-bono work which means work for public- mainly for poor people who cannot afford to defend their rights in the procedural justice system of judiciary. He added that pro-bono work is basically motivated by a desire to advance social justice. He said lawyers can play important role by helping people to access opportunities and rights in the procedural justice. He said that fair system of law and due process are central in social justice because these help to develop a mechanism by which everyone has access to rights and opportunities.

Syed Nayab Hasan, President IHCBA said inequality is wide spread across the country which is, not poverty, a crucial to the negative effects in Pakistan. He condemned the promotion of separate education and health systems for rich and poor and widening gap between them; none of the governments have adequately addressed issue of inequality in these spheres of life.

Anwar Shah, President District Bar Association, said those nations die if there is no social justice among them. Pakistani nation is going to such death if the rulers did not address the mass scale of injustice immediately. Advocate Riaz Rohi said people in Pakistan have forgotten to follow Quran and last sermon of holly prophet. In the last sermon, the Prophet said there is no superiority for Arab over non-Arab and for a non-Arab over an Arab, not for the white over the black, nor for the black over the white.

The speakers also emphasized that the lawyer fraternity to play its role in monitoring of procedural justice and judicial policies vis-a-vis fundamental rights given in the Constitution, reviewing the state of human rights in detention centers/facilities, contributing/influence judicial policy reforms through Bars/Associations and supporting poor victims and offenders who cannot afford to get justice through courts.

Junaid Chudhry, General Secretary IHCBA and others also spoke in the occasion.