JPP, LAJA train lawyers to strengthen legal Aid for women detained under drug laws

ISLAMABAD, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 7th May, 2026) The Legal Aid and Justice Authority (LAJA) , in collaboration with Justice Project Pakistan (JPP) trained on Thursday the first cohort of lawyers under its Digital Legal Aid Pilot for Women Incarcerated under Drug Offences.

The programme is designed to place trained, gender-responsive lawyers directly into cases in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, and to track outcomes through a digital platform so that the justice system can, for the first time, learn from what it does.

Addressing the training session, Adil Anwar, Director General of LAJA , said that for thousands of women imprisoned under drug laws in Pakistan, access to quality legal representation can determine whether justice is realised. This pilot marks a shift from ad hoc legal aid to a system that is structured, accountable, and responsive to vulnerability — strengthening both the quality of defence and public confidence in the justice system."

Most women detained under drug laws are first-time or low-level offenders who entered such situations through poverty, coercion, or dependent relationships.

Many have children at home.

The training, led by JPP, equipped lawyers with harm reduction principles, trauma-informed client interaction, and practical strategies for bail and mitigation — alongside the **Bangkok Rules**, the United Nations' international standards for the treatment of women prisoners.

"In many of these cases, the facts are only part of the story," said Ayesha Saleem, Team Lead for Data and Research at Justice Project Pakistan. "When lawyers understand their clients' realities — health, dependency, and caregiving — they are better positioned to advocate for fairer outcomes.

Case outcomes will be monitored through 'Vakeel Online, a digital platform that tracks lawyer-client interaction and results, generating the evidence base to improve every training cycle that follows. This marks the first time legal aid for women in drug cases in Pakistan will be systematically measured.

Thursday's session is the first of several planned trainings. For the women still waiting in detention today, organisers said, it is a beginning.