Illegal construction: Lawyers’ Model Town chambers prove a flashpoint

21 chambers are being constructed on the lawn of courts complex.

LAHORE: Police had to be called in on Saturday after a group of lawyers forcibly took possession of a lawn to construct their chambers at the Model Town courts. The construction of 21 chambers is already underway on another lawn.

According to a lawyer, who did not wish to be named, a group of lawyers had agreed to build the 21 chambers.

“Lahore Bar Association (LBA) Model Town vice president Zameer Ahmed Jhedu gave the permission to his favourite group of lawyers to build their chambers before his tenure ends this month,” he said.

“Today (Saturday), when the rest of the lawyers saw that construction was underway; some of them also demanded chambers for themselves. They tried to stop the lawyers from constructing their chambers. They later occupied another lawn and said they would construct 20 chambers there,” he said.

“Police was then called to the scene,” he said.

Jhedu met with Model Town Assistant Commissioner Abdullah Nayar and asked him to stop the police from interfering in the dispute.

Later, a meeting was held at the bar room of the courts. Jhedu persuaded the second group of lawyers not to occupy the lawn.

The lawyers were offered instead the chambers to be built on top of the ones being constructed. However, they did not agree to it.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Jhedu said that he had issued allotment letters to 21 lawyers to construct chambers following a consensus at the LBA. “There is an agreement among the bar, the bench and the administration that there will be no construction on the second lawn. Lawyers who do not have chambers will be accommodated at the vegetable market located opposite Model Town courts. We will negotiate with the government for the purpose,” he said.

Nayar said that he was waiting for the decision of the LBA executive over the issue.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 28^th, 2014.