Bitter tussle: LBA threatens to take over cooperative societies building

Association calls on govt to hand over edifice to LHC

LAHORE: Lahore Bar Association (LBA) on Friday threatened to occupy the Punjab Cooperative Societies building if it was not handed over to Lahore High Court (LHC) by October 8.

The warning was issued at a media talk organised by the LBA at the Aiwan-i-Adl against the alleged efforts of some bureaucrats to obstruct efforts to house select courts scattered across the city in a single building. LBA president Chaudhry Ishtiaq said bar officials and LHC Chief Justice Manzoor Malik had been striving to house the courts in a single building. He said lawyers would occupy the building if it was not handed over to LHC by the stipulated date.

Ishtiaq said the LBA had been striving to house the scattered courts in one building for 15 years. He said this was the first time there had been any movement in this regard. Ishtiaq praised the efforts of Chief Justice Malik, LHC Registrar Tariq Ahmed, District and Sessions Judge Bahadar Ali Khan and Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Law Ashtar Ausaf Ali on this account.

The LBA president said lawyers wanted to possess the building that the government had rented. He said the LHC had offered to rent the structure at a greater price than what was being paid currently. Ishtiaq said the government had initially promised to hand over the building to LHC by September 30.

He said the government had reneged on the pledge at the behest of certain bureaucrats.

Taking a potshot at the bureaucrats by calling them babus, Ishtiaq alleged that they had been obstructing efforts to house the courts in one building.

The LBA president said the bureaucrats had deprived both, lawyers and litigants of their rights.

The LBA president said eight special courts including an accountability court, a drug court, a child protection court and a consumer court were being established.

He said the consolidation of the courts at one place would facilitate the provision of timely justice. Ishtiaq said lawyers’ parking woes had also been remedied.

He said chambers for 400 lawyers were being constructed in phase II.  Ishtiaq also called upon the government to release funds for lawyers’ welfare saying no monies had been released in this regard over the last nine months.

Government Spokesperson Zaeem Qadri remained unavailable for comment despite being contacted several times.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 3^rd, 2015.