OKARA: The application of the District Bar Association (DBA) demanding the establishment of a banking court at the district complex has been pending for more than one year with the office of the secretary, Ministry of Law & Justice Division, Islamabad.

Senior lawyers Khan Zahoor Ahmad Iqbal and Chaudhry Ghulam Mustafa Sadiq have been struggling for the last more than four years for the establishment of the banking court at the district complex as there are nearly 60pc of the total cases of the Sahiwal division are from Okara bar. The lawyers are bound to appear in the banking court in Sahiwal, which costs heavily to the litigants.

The banking court has been recommended by the Lahore High Court (LHC). As 916 cases pertaining to Okara district are pending with court, the chief justice desired the establishment of an independent banking court in Okara under section 5(5) of Financial Institutions (Recovery of Finance) Ordinance 2001. The law secretary was requested to take necessary steps in the aforementioned matter in the public interest.

A banking court was operational in Sahiwal but it was shifted to Multan in 2001. The DBA Sahiwal with consistent efforts succeeded in reestablishment of the court in October 2015.

DBA president Amjad Pervaiz Chaudhry and Secretary Mehr Zamir Haider Mangan through MNA Chaudhry Riazul Haq Juj have approached Federal Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarrar to get the recommendations of the LHC implemented.

Published in Dawn, August 11th, 2022