‘Judges to decide about benches’

LAHORE: Punjab Law Minister Raja Basharat on Friday told the Punjab Assembly that it was the prerogative of judges to form divisional benches and the government had no say in the process.

Responding to the issue raised by PML-N MPA Ashraf Ali Ansari, who hails from Gujranwala, the law minister stated negotiation between the government and lawyers protesting for setting up of divisional benches was underway. He said a delegation of lawyers had also called on Governor Chaudhry Sarwar. However, he said that it was up to the judges to decide whether to establish any divisional bench or not.