PESHAWAR, March 19: NWFP Governor Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah has said the Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide funds to the tune of $380 million for an Access to Justice Programme.

The major chunk of the funds would be received by the judiciary, he said, while speaking at the inauguration ceremony of a judicial complex and the earth-breaking ceremony of a lawyers’ complex.

Under the programme, the official business and activities of the government with a special focus on the judiciary would be computerized and other related facilities would be upgraded to meet the immediate requirements of the people.   The governor said similar facilities would be provided in other cities of the province. He added that working of the police department and other administrative procedures would be improved under the programme.

He stated that the government would continue its efforts to ensure availability of a congenial working environment for all the stakeholders of the judiciary, including lawyers.

“Judiciary enjoys a significant role in the society and it will have to play its important role in the dispensation of justice to the people.”

The governor said: “We are making utmost efforts to improve the bar libraries and other facilities and have already taken such initiatives in a number of districts.”

Others who spoke at the function were the chief justice of the Peshawar High Court, Justice Mian Shakirullah Jan, Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Ather Minullah and district Nazim Azam Afridi.

The chief justice termed the inauguration of the judicial complex an important step, saying that basic infrastructure of the complex should be improved by constructing separate lockups for men and women prisoners, a bar room, a car-parking and washrooms.

He asked the government to provide funds at the earliest in order to provide the facilities to litigants and lawyers.

The law minister said the complex would house all the 28 Peshawar-based lower courts and would also have the capacity to accommodate 10 more courts. It would help all the stakeholders, including judges, lawyers and people, in ridding themselves of numerous difficulties.

The governor performed the inaugural ceremony of the judicial complex and earth-breaking ceremony of the lawyers’ complex in the backyard of the judicial complex, separately.