January 24, 2008	Thursday	Muharram 14, 1429

KARACHI, Jan 23: Legal and judicial reforms are receiving top priority in allocation of funds to ensure not only the rule of law but also economic development, which are essential for smooth functioning of democracy, Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan told judges, judicial officers and lawyers in the Sindh High Court on Wednesday.

He was addressing a gathering after laying the foundation stone of the biggest-ever expansion project launched by the SHC. Called the SHC administration block, the 10-storeyed building would be constructed on 5,717 square yards of land adjacent to the court compound on the premises of the Sindh Secretariat (Block 4-B). The land was transferred by the provincial government to the SHC as the existing building being a heritage site, no new construction could take place in it.

The new building would house all administrative offices and branches of the court, the offices of the advocate-general, attorney-general and all other law officers, the offices of the Sindh High Court Bar Association and the Sindh Bar Council, the bar library and canteen and the clients’ cafeteria, the dispensary, bank branches, and the post office and the book shops. The project would cost over Rs277 million and take about two years and a half to complete. The existing structure would be exclusively used for courtrooms and judges chambers. The registrar and the member of the inspection team would also have their offices in the new building.

The governor said the government was undertaking overdue development work to improve the working environment of the judiciary with the help of the Asian Development Bank and its access to justice programme. The rule of law and equality of citizens were vitally important to economic progress. The Constitution has assigned different functions to the three organs or pillars of the state and they should perform their functions in their own independent spheres. Co-existence and coordination was required to ensure smooth functioning of the government in accordance with the Constitution, he said.

Addressing the function earlier, Chief Justice Mohammad Afzal Soomro thanked the governor and the provincial government for their keen interest in upkeep and upgrade of the judiciary.

Justice Munib Ahmed Khan, who heads the project committee, said the access of justice programme was launched by the federal ministry of law, justice and human rights in 2001. Thirty-five projects have since been launched in the various districts of Sindh. Judicial complexes consisting of courts and ancillary offices were coming up fast. Residential facilities were being provided to the judicial officers near the court premises. Court work was computerized and the SHC has also computerized its cause lists. Petitions and applications would be displayed on television screens installed outside courtrooms and bar rooms as cases come up for hearing. Lawyers would not have to sit in the courtrooms to ascertain their turn. Twenty-eight apartments were being constructed for judicial officers near Malir district courts.

Bar representatives were conspicuous by their absence, though the function was attended by a sizable number of lawyers and law officers.