LHC dismisses plea for minimum wage at $1,000

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday dismissed as “not maintainable” a constitutional petition seeking to set the minimum wage at the equivalent of US$1,000 per month across all provinces.

Chief Justice Aalia Neelum heard the petition filed by Advocate Fahmeed Nawaz Ansari, who named the prime minister and several other officials as respondents.

Upholding the objections earlier raised by the court’s registrar office, the chief justice ruled that the plea could not be heard by the high court.

“Some of the matters you are attempting to challenge cannot be brought before this court,” the chief justice remarked, adding that a formal order was required to consign the petition to the record.

The court then dismissed the petition accordingly.

In his petition, the petitioner argued that because Pakistan had once been a British colony, several British-era legal principles still applied, and that Pakistani courts often refer to British and American case law. He claimed that, on this basis, Pakistan should adopt British and American labour standards as well.

The petitioner further contended that the minimum wage in the United States and the United Kingdom was “set at $1,000,” and urged the court to order the same wage for Pakistan.

The High Court, however, found the petition legally non-maintaimable and dismissed the same.