Judicial complex issue to be discussed during CJP’s visit to Multan today

MULTAN: Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar will be visiting here on Saturday (today). He will address the lawyers at Lahore High Court Multan bench after visiting the Multan District Bar and will also meet the lawyers to discuss viability of shifting the district courts to new judicial complex and sorting out solution to the problem.

Talking to journalists, Multan High Court Bar Association (MHCBA) president Khalid Mehmood Ashraf said the CJP would travel from Lahore by road and would reach Multan in the afternoon. He would visit the Multan district bar soon after his arrival where he would meet the lawyers to discuss delay in shifting of district courts to the new judicial complex. He said that lawyers had prepared a detailed briefing on the subject. “Shifting of district courts is unviable because the covered area lacks in the new judicial complex. There are no chambers for the lawyers at the complex.

He said that LHC ex-chief justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah had ordered shifting of district courts, lower courts and lawyers to the new judicial complex without construction of the lawyers’ chambers. The lawyers unanimously launched protest drive against it and staged sit-in in the premises of roofless judicial complex. The CJP visited the place and ordered shifting of district courts to the old location.

He said the district administration had estimated Rs10 billion budget for completion of structure at the new judicial complex. The MHCBA president said the entire lawyer fraternity was unanimously agreed to continue working at the present location (Katchery Chowk) instead of the new judicial complex.

He said the lawyers had estimated allocation of Rs1.5 billion budget which can solve the current location problem by extension and construction of parking plaza. He said the matter would be discussed with the CJP. He said the CJP would address the lawyers at the LHC Multan bench in the evening after holding meeting with the lawyers at district bar.