Cases registered: Lawyers turn facilitation centre into chambers

ISLAMABAD: The only complaints facilitation centre at the Islamabad court premises has been converted into lawyers chambers by the lawyers themselves.

The complaints facilitation centre was set up two years ago with a meeting place for families and an information desk.

Millions of rupees were spent on the district judiciary complaints facilitation centre .

Now lawyers have set up their chambers on a portion of the designated place

Advocate Aijaz Mehboob speaking to The Express Tribune said that work on the facilitation centre began in 2013, then we vacated this place on judiciary’s call because we were told that a modern facilitation centre will be formed here with improved facilities, however, not even half of what was promised has been provided to the centre.

Thereafter ,courts were built made on this land and for complaints centre only one part of the area was designated.

Lawyers were under the impression that no further work would be done at the centre as a result of which they started setting up their chambers.

The purpose for which lawyers had stopped construction of their chambers remains unfulfilled.

Due to the construction of these chambers cases against twenty lawyers were initiated and registered at Margalla Maindu. police station.

However, on one hand the police are hesitating in arresting the lawyers,while on the other Islamabad Bar Association has given a deadline to Islamabad IGP to withdraw the cases, or else lawyers plan to intensify their protest.

On the other hand, Islamabad Bar Association President Riasat Ali Azad responding to letters written to sessions judge by SSP Security Islamabad pointed out that police are are still deployed at entry points of Islamabad court, district judiciary and police are waging conspiracy against Islamabad Bar.

Islamabad Bar District Association strongly condemns this. Meanwhile the lawyers’ strike has entered its eighth day.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 30^th, 2018.