KHAR, Sept 3: The political administration has decided to launch mobile courts in Bajaur Agency to provide easy and speedy justice to tribal people of remote areas.

The decision was taken in a meeting held here on Tuesday with Political Agent Syed Abdul Jabar Shah in the chair. Other senior officials of the political administration also attended the meeting.

The participants of the meeting discussed issues related to law and order situation, strategy for speedy disposal of pending cases and allocation of funds for development schemes in the tribal region.

Senior officials briefed the political agent about the number and nature of cases, filed by the tribal people in their offices over the last two decades.

They said that the number of cases had been increased during the past several years. They said that 25,000 new cases were initiated since 2010 after the writ of the government was restored in the tribal region.

The political agent was informed that increase in number of cases and activities of the officials concerned outside their offices were main causes of delay in disposal of cases.

The political agent expressed concern over increase in the number of cases and displeasure over delay in their disposal.

“I am not satisfied with the procedure set for hearing of cases because it doesn’t provide speedy justice to the poor tribal people. We should adopt a modern system to ensure provision of easy and speedy justice to them,” he told the participants of the meeting.

The political agent asked the officials to take serious steps to start hearing of pending cases as getting of speedy justice was the basic right of every citizen of the country.

Talking to journalists after the meeting, the political agent said that the administration decided to set up immediately a mobile court in the agency to ensure easy and speedy justice to the tribesmen of remote and far-flung areas.

“Mobile court is vital for early disposal of cases and provision of speedy justice to residents of the tribal region particularly to the people of far-flung and remote areas,” Mr Shah said.

He said that the mobile court would be made functional from Sept 5. He said that initially mobile court would be set up in Khar, Loi Mamond, War Mamond and Salarzai tehsils, however, the same would be gradually extended to other parts of the agency.

The political agent said that the mobile courts would hear cases in public places including government school and hospital. He said that tehsildar in each tehsil would be responsible to arrange mobile court in his area once in a week.

Mr Shah said that the mobile courts were aimed at providing justice to tribal people at their doorsteps. It would be the first scheme of speedy justice in the history of tribal areas and would help to resolve civil disputes and criminal cases of petty nature at the earliest, he said.

He said that mobile courts would also help to reduce the burden of pending cases. “This step will not only help people to get speedy justice but will also save their time and money,” the political agent said.