lawyers’ pays: Railways officials warned of losing their houses

LHC warns railways authorities residences of the officials would be sold if legal advisors not paid salaries.

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Monday warned the railways authorities that if the department was unable to pay the salaries of its legal advisors, the ‘huge’ residences of the officials at Mayo Gardens would be sold for this purpose.

Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed was hearing a petition on Monday where the railways’ legal advisor, Sarfraz Cheema, said that some legal advisors had been paid their salaries. Cheema sought time to pay the salaries to the rest of the advisors. He said that the salaries could not be paid on time due to the department’s serious financial difficulties. The court was hearing a case agitating the non-payment of salaries to 60 legal advisors of the railways for the past two years.

Advocate Arshad Virk filed the petition, saying that it had become hard for them to meet the daily expenses due to the non-payment of their pays.

The court, on the previous hearing, had also warned the railways officials (from grade-17 to grade-22) of holding back their salaries in case the legal advisors were not paid by a set date.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 15^th, 2011.