GUJRANWALA: Litigants have been facing problems due to lawyers’ strike and locking of courts in Gujranwala and other divisional headquarters of Punjab since Nov 15 to press the judiciary to establish the benches of the Lahore High Court at divisional headquarters.

Lawyers lock courts of district and sessions judges, additional district and sessions judges, banking courts and judicial magistrates’ courts every day in working hours for the establishment of Lahore High court divisional bench in Gujranwla and other divisions.

They have also shut entrance to deputy commissioner and tehsil complexes from Nov 15. Because of the strike, hundreds of people could not be released from jail as their bails were not confirmed because of no judicial work.

Bar president Noor Muhammad Mirza and general secretary Zaheer Ahmad Cheema told Dawn rulers often claimed to provide instant and cheap justice to people but they were not taking any interest to establish the LHC bench for 16.2 million people of Gujranwala division.

ARRESTED: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) arrested on Saturday two persons for lottery and banking fraud.

The FIA said some people were depriving people of their money with fake digital lottery and bank transfer. The arrested people were Mahboob Alam and Mubarik Ali.

NO SMOKING: The Punjab government has banned smoking on schools’ premises.

A letter by the School Education Department to education department officials read that teachers smoking in school hours would face legal action. Teacher in charges would be responsible if any student is found smoking in school.

Published in Dawn, December 9th, 2018