29 January 2004	Thursday	06 Zilhaj 1424

KARACHI, Jan 28: Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad on Wednesday urged the lawyers to adhere to Islamic concept of justice. He was speaking to the members of the Karachi Bar Association after administering an oath of office to the newly-elected KBA body for the year 2004, at a simple ceremony held at the City Courts Complex.

He said that as a Muslim he believed that Islam preached justice in all spheres of life and it stresses equality of all before the law, adding that lawyers should strive to ensure justice as per Islamic laws.

"We have many laws, rules and regulation concerning human rights, women rights, etc, but the same do not have inherent deterrent," the governor said, calling upon the lawyers to point out lacunas in legislation, so that laws be made more effective to reform the society.

Mr Ibad said it was the responsibility of state to ensure citizen's right to seek justice, and added that lawyers should serve the litigants with utmost diligence and honesty.

He also called upon lower judiciary to improve relations between the bar and the bench. Referring to the problems faced by the lawyers, particularly members of the KBA, the governor held out a strong assurance that all issues raised by the KBA would be addressed at the earliest.

He also announced a grant of Rs1 million for the KBA. Later, talking with media persons, he said the present government was striving hard to bring improvement in judicial system and to facilitate litigant public.

Earlier, KBA President Mehmoodul Hasan, in his welcome speech vowed that the association would continue to strive for upholding of democracy in the country.He demanded shifting of the City Courts to the Karachi Central Prison after construction of judicial complex, and shifting of the prison outside the city.

He suggested that by selling the present city courts' complex the government would get enough money to establish new judicial complex. He also requested Sindh governor to allot a piece of land for the KBA Cooperative Housing Society.

Besides Sindh Advocate General Anwar Mansur Khan, a large number of KBA members attended the oath-taking ceremony. KBA President Mehmoodul Hasan said that an amount of Rs10 million of Sindh Bar Council and Rs8.5 million of the Karachi Bar Association was misappropriated in the Kutchery Post Office fraud case.

Mr Hasan, while speaking at the oath-taking ceremony, earlier, requested Dr Ibad to seek intervention of federal government to force Postal authorities for payment of deposited funds to the depositors.

KBA CRITICIZED: Members of the Sindh Bar Council on Wednesday criticized the decision of the KBA's Managing Committee to inviting Sindh governor for administering the oath of its newly-elected office-bearers.

In a joint press statement, SBC members, Mustufa Lakhani, Muhammad Yaseen Azad, Muhammad Sadiq Hidayatullah, Muhammad Aqil and Ismail Memon said that decision of KBA's managing committee was against the resolutions of Pakistan Bar Council, Supreme Court Bar Association and SBC, according to which no bar association would invite present government functionaries to their functions.

They said the KBA decision was also against its constitution, which said that only superior court judges be invited to administer the oath of office-bearers and members of managing committee.-APP/PPI