Lawyer seeks accessible site for banking courts

PID films and publication incharge admits space available at Pakistan Secretariat.

KARACHI: The Press Information Department’s films and publication incharge has admitted that there is space available to house the Banking Courts at the second floor of Pakistan Secretariat’s Block 3-B, following a constitutional petition filed by a banking lawyer.

Petitioner advocate Rajendar maintains that there are five banking courts in Karachi in three places: State Life Building (Banking Courts II and III), Pak Secretariat (Banking Court I) and 2nd floor, Queens Centre on Moulvi Tamizuddin Khan Road (Banking Courts IV
and V).

The petitioner submitted that practising banking lawyers keep running to and from these three places and face a major commuting problem daily.

The government was approached and it was agreed that any government space, if available, would be made available to house the banking courts. The government had constituted a committee which on May 2, 2009 recommended the place, which was also approved by the Joint Estate Officer (JEO).

The respondents in the case are creating hurdles and obstacles, the petitioner submitted, praying the court to issue necessary directives so that a banking court could easily be moved to a location that is easily accessible “in the interest of litigants and lawyers”.

During Wednesday’s hearing, Muhammad Afzal, PID films and publications incharge, told the Sindh High Court division bench, comprising Chief Justice Sarmad Jalal Osmany and Justice Salman Hamid, that a number of barracks are vacant within the premises of the secretariat buildings, and can be allotted.

The bench, after this statement, formed a two-member committee comprising Afzal and Sohail Sarwar, the Government of Pakistan’s JEO “to go to the Secretariat and point out the barracks which according to Afzal are vacant and can be allotted to banking courts”.

The bench with these directives adjourned the hearing till December 8.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 3^rd, 2010.