Shifting of district courts: Lawyers, traders agree to sort out issue

Lawyers and traders have agreed to work on a plan for shifting the district courts from the F-8 Markaz.

This was agreed at a meeting between a delegation of the Islamabad Bar Association (IBA) and representatives of the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) on Monday.

They discussed the formation of a joint committee to work on the shifting plan.

IBA President Zahid Mahmood Raja said lawyers were fully aware of the fact that traders were facing problems due to the district courts’ location in F-8 Markaz. He assured traders that the lawyers would fully cooperate with the ICCI in shifting the courts from the business centre.

Raja said though the government has allotted five acres in Sector G-10 for the construction of chambers and a complex for judges and lawyers, no funds have been allocated in this regard. He said it was not possible for the lawyers to construct the complex, which will cost Rs2.2 billion.

ICCI acting president Ashfaq Hussain Chatha said the body has formed a committee to find out an amicable solution to the issue. He asked lawyers to nominate members to be part of the joint committee to work out on the plan.

He also urged the government to allocate necessary funds so the district courts could be shifted at the earliest.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 4^th, 2015.