HARIPUR: Peshawar High Court Chief Justice Qaiser Rashid Khan has said that the poor and downtrodden litigants are the focus of judicial system and the district judiciary is aware of its responsibilities and the judges have geared up their efforts in this regard.

He was speaking to the participants of the inaugural ceremony of newly-constructed judicial complex here on Saturday. Judges of the Peshawar High Court, district judiciary and office-bearers of bar rooms from across Hazara division were present on this occasion.

The PHC chief justice said the bar and bench should join hands to lessen the backlog of cases especially of criminal nature that were lingering for years.

“We need to come forward and help the poor litigants and I hope the bar would play its part along with the district judiciary in this regard,” he said.

Justice Rashid Khan said he was in touch with the district judiciary and he was optimistic that they would deliver in this regard. He announced issuing books for library and some furniture for the bar room besides computers and scanners for the judicial complex.

District and sessions judge, Haripur, Mohammad Asif Khan presented the welcome address while high court bar president Sardar Abdul Rauf and Haripur district bar president Shahid Mehboob also spoke on the occasion.

Earlier, the PHC chief justice inaugurated the new building of the judicial complex and took a round of courtrooms, bar room and library and planted a sapling on the premises of the complex.

HUNGER STRIKE: The sacked workers of a cement factory continued hunger strike for their reinstatement for the third consecutive day here on Saturday.

One of the protesters collapsed at the hunger strike camp and was shifted to the trauma centre, Haripur, where he was hospitalised, police and hospital sources said.

According to Faisal, one of the sacked workers, the administration of the cement factory in Hattar had sacked over 100 workers about 18 months ago.

Some of these workers moved the National Industrial Relations Commission, Islamabad, which ordered restoration of all the sacked workers.

The workers approached the factory administration with the NIRC’s order and sought restoration of their services with all benefits, but according to Faisal, the administration refused to reinstate them.

Published in Dawn, February 21st, 2021