Vested rights: Model Town Courts boundary wall held up by lawyers’ opposition
Several lawyers’ houses lie in the path of the boundary wall.
File photo of lawyers. PHOTO: ONLINE
LAHORE:
The construction of a boundary wall at the Model Town Courts is being delayed due to resistance by some lawyers whose families live next to their chambers, The Express Tribune has learnt.
Funds have been allocated for the construction of a 250-feet boundary wall but several lawyers have put up strong resistance to the construction. They reportedly thrashed the labourers sent to on the site a few weeks ago. The lawyers also reportedly threatened the labourers with dire consequences if they did not stop building the wall.
The wall would have to cut through the chambers of several lawyers. These lawyers had also constructed extra rooms next to the chambers. They have resisted the construction of the wall as almost all of the residences will have to be demolished.
Lahore Bar Association (LBA) representatives have been requesting these lawyers to move but to no avail. Several meetings have been held in this connection but there has been no progress.
The families of Advocates Munir Bhatti, Khalid Bhatti, Irfan Riaz Basra and several others live in these houses. The main entrances to these houses lie on the court premises. The back doors open towards the train track.
Advocate Syed Farzand Mashhadi told The Express Tribune that the Model Town Courts were more vulnerable to attacks than other courts as there were locations less than three feet away from these houses where anyone could jump over the wall and enter the court premises. He said the lawyers living in those houses have been asked to relocate but the requests had fallen on deaf ears. He said it wasn’t a matter of some houses but of security at the courts and avoiding any unpleasant incidents on court premises.
Senior Judicial Magistrate Zafar Iqbal Sial told The Express Tribune that there had been resistance from some lawyers. He said LBA representatives were in talks with the lawyers living there and he hoped their efforts would bear fruit and that the construction could recommence next week. LBA president Chauhdary Ishtiaq said many of the lawyers were willing to relocate but some were still resisting. He said that he hoped they will be persuaded to move so that construction could begin from Monday.
When asked whether the LBA could take disciplinary action over the matter, he said the Lahore Bar Association could, cancel the membership of any lawyers or move a reference against them before the Punjab Bar Council if they persisted in opposing its decision.
Advocate Munir Bhatti, whose family has been living in one of the houses, told The Express Tribune that they will not allow the Lahore Bar Association to demolish their houses. He said the houses did not pose a security threat. He said some lawyers wanted to grab the land in front of the train track. Construction of the boundary wall would allow them to do so, he said. Bhatti said the lawyers’ families had been living in these houses for more than 10 years. He also said land was not connected to the court premises in any way. “Why then would we allow them to demolish our houses?” he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 20th, 2014.
The construction of a boundary wall at the Model Town Courts is being delayed due to resistance by some lawyers whose families live next to their chambers, The Express Tribune has learnt.
Funds have been allocated for the construction of a 250-feet boundary wall but several lawyers have put up strong resistance to the construction. They reportedly thrashed the labourers sent to on the site a few weeks ago. The lawyers also reportedly threatened the labourers with dire consequences if they did not stop building the wall.
The wall would have to cut through the chambers of several lawyers. These lawyers had also constructed extra rooms next to the chambers. They have resisted the construction of the wall as almost all of the residences will have to be demolished.
Lahore Bar Association (LBA) representatives have been requesting these lawyers to move but to no avail. Several meetings have been held in this connection but there has been no progress.
The families of Advocates Munir Bhatti, Khalid Bhatti, Irfan Riaz Basra and several others live in these houses. The main entrances to these houses lie on the court premises. The back doors open towards the train track.
Advocate Syed Farzand Mashhadi told The Express Tribune that the Model Town Courts were more vulnerable to attacks than other courts as there were locations less than three feet away from these houses where anyone could jump over the wall and enter the court premises. He said the lawyers living in those houses have been asked to relocate but the requests had fallen on deaf ears. He said it wasn’t a matter of some houses but of security at the courts and avoiding any unpleasant incidents on court premises.
Senior Judicial Magistrate Zafar Iqbal Sial told The Express Tribune that there had been resistance from some lawyers. He said LBA representatives were in talks with the lawyers living there and he hoped their efforts would bear fruit and that the construction could recommence next week. LBA president Chauhdary Ishtiaq said many of the lawyers were willing to relocate but some were still resisting. He said that he hoped they will be persuaded to move so that construction could begin from Monday.
When asked whether the LBA could take disciplinary action over the matter, he said the Lahore Bar Association could, cancel the membership of any lawyers or move a reference against them before the Punjab Bar Council if they persisted in opposing its decision.
Advocate Munir Bhatti, whose family has been living in one of the houses, told The Express Tribune that they will not allow the Lahore Bar Association to demolish their houses. He said the houses did not pose a security threat. He said some lawyers wanted to grab the land in front of the train track. Construction of the boundary wall would allow them to do so, he said. Bhatti said the lawyers’ families had been living in these houses for more than 10 years. He also said land was not connected to the court premises in any way. “Why then would we allow them to demolish our houses?” he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 20th, 2014.