Lawyers’ accommodations: SCBA to undertake Rs250m project

Around 40 apartments to be constructed in sector G-5.

ISLAMABAD:

To avoid the risk of plot cancellation or encroachment, Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) plans to construct apartments for the accommodation of the lawyers hailing from other cities. This construction will take place on the land allocated for the SCBA office by Capital Development Authority (CDA) in sector G-5, near Federal Shariat Court. SCBA employed the services of a senior lawyer, based in Karachi to execute the project, under which 40 apartments are to be constructed. The estimated cost of the project is Rs250 million, said the first ever predisent of SCBA, Asma Jahangir, while talking to The Express Tribune.

Senior lawyers, who  came from across the country to appear before Supreme Court in different cases faced hosts of problems during their stay in Islamabad, she said.”Through this project we would be in a position to address their worries,” she added.

Asma is universally known for her struggle against human rights violations and her determination to strengthen the role of women in society. This year, legal fraternity elected her as president for SCBA due to her bold and independent role on different legal and political issues. She criticised weaknesses of judiciary as well as the government. However, at the same time, Asma defended the right steps of the judiciary and the rulers.

CDA has approved the allotment of a valuable piece of land to the bar association on the intervention of the prime minister and interior minister in sector G-5/2 - the red zone area of the capital. Allotment of the aforesaid plot was cancelled back in 2007 during the lawyers’ movement, under the pretext of security concern, according to a CDA official. Sources said the interior minister wrote twice to the CDA officials for the allotment of the plot.

“Instead, CDA allocated a plot in Mauve Area in sector G-11/1 to SCBA, but the association refused to accept this offer,” the official added. The civic body however, approved the allotment of the ‘demanded piece of land’ in its board meeting on February 1.

The interior minister sent out two letters last year, the first one on September 6 and the second one on December 31, urging CDA to allot the G-5 plot to SCBA. These letters were presented in the meeting.

The members of the meeting were told that the prime minister had also recommended that the plot be allotted to SCBA. Sources said that given the pressure, CDA had no other option but to approve the recommendations of the prime minister and the interior minister.

According to a copy of the document available with The Express Tribune, the plot measures 4,000 square yards and is valued at Rs18 million.

When contacted, Tariq Mehmood, a prominent figure of lawyers’ movement and close friend of SCBA President Asma Jahangir, told The Express Tribune, “It was our right, therefore we put this issue before the Interior Minister Rehman Malik.” Responding to another question, he said it was not a case of special favour because the interior minister or prime minister were the concerned authorities in this matter therefore the issue was brought to their notice.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 27^th, 2011.