The Public Interest Law Association of Pakistan was founded in 2011 by a group of concerned citizens with the primary objective of enabling Pakistanis to attain the realisation of their civil, human, economic, social and political rights. It is an independent, non-political and not-for-profit organisation that is dedicated to protecting and defending human rights through research, advocacy and judicial means, across Pakistan. It is registered as a Society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. PILAP conducts its public interest work through means of research, advocacy, and litigation. Another pillar very critial to our success is to have strong parternships with domain experts.

Research: Once a matter of public interest issue is selected the organisation conducts thorough research into the issue by looking into factual and background information and conduct legal research to assess how fundamental rights are being affected and which government authority can be approached for redress.

Parternships: Due to Pakistan’s vibrant social enterprieses sector there exist experts in various fields with decades of knowledge on specific public interest issues. We partner with them, with lawyers, researchers, and civil society groups, to understand complex issues and develop practical legal solutions.

Advocacy: Armed with this information, we then approach the concerned public authority by advocating for the grant of fundamental rights owed to the people. Advocacy is undertaken through applications submitted under the Right to Information laws and, if need be, appealing to the Pakistan Information Commission. We also submit letters to Federal Ministries advocating for the passage of bills that are crucial to the fulfillment of fundamental rights. On occasion we issue public statements on important matters of public interest.

Litigation: The final stage in our public interest work is seeking redress through the courts of law by filing writ petitions for the enforcement of fundamental rights.