MIRPURKHAS: Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Gulzar Ahmed has said that he wants all citizens to have basic amenities and comfortable living within their respective areas. Encroachments cannot be allowed as the trend causes trouble to people. They should be removed as per the relevant laws in order to restore ownership of properties to their legitimate owners and also restore citizen’s other rights. Removal of encroachments facilitates the process.

Justice Gulzar was speaking at a ceremony held at the Mirpurkhas district and sessions court on Saturday evening for the oath-taking ceremony of the Mirpurkhas District Bar Association. The ceremony was attended by Justice Maqbool Baqar, Justice Faisal Arab and Justice Sajjad Ali Shah, Sindh High Court Chief Justice Ahmed Ali M. Shaikh and many other judges, besides office-bearers and members of various bar associations.

Welcoming the honourable judges and other guests, newly-elected president of Mirpurkhas DBA Jan Ali Junejo thanked them for sparing time for the ceremony. He highlighted various issues relating to the judicial system in Mirpurkhas and the problems being faced by DBA members.

Advocate Junejo urged the CJP to consider establishment of a circuit bench of Sindh High Court, a banking court, an anti-corruption court and special courts in Mirpurkhas to facilitate litigations in the district. He also called for CJP’s help in getting a university established in the city.

CJP Justice Gulzar Ahmed stressed on supremacy of law saying that no one could be allowed to violate the Constitution and law and the judiciary was under obligation to keep a strict check on such violations. He said justice was a fundamental right of citizens and it must be dispensed timely.

He said Mirpurkhas is an old and fourth major city of Sindh which should have educational, health and other facilities essentially required in urban areas. Schools, colleges and universities should be established here according to the requirement of the population of the city and district, he said.

He said government officials should look into the demand for a university in Mirpurkhas.

Regarding establishment of an SHC circuit bench here, he noted that a huge number of cases pertaining to Mirpurkhas, Tharparkar and Umerkot districts were pending adjudication in the high court. He said he would ask the authorities concerned to assess the situation and, if feasible, recommend setting up of a circuit bench at Mirpurkhas. Justice Gulzar said that the banking court functioning in Hyderabad should be shifted to Mirpurkhas as it was needed more here.

Regarding anti-corruption court and special courts, he said he was in touch with the authorities concerned. He said judges would have to be made available for these courts.

SHC Chief Justice Ahmed Ali M. Shaikh and several office-bearers of the DBA also spoke at the ceremony.

Published in Dawn, February 24th, 2020