LAHORE: Giving a ‘goodwill gesture’ to Lahore High Court Chief Justice-designate Malik Shahzad Ahmad Khan, the lawyers’ bodies on Friday temporarily called off their over two-month long strike against the shifting of civil courts from city to Model Town.

At a joint press conference, the elected leaders of different bar associations and councils announced temporary suspension of the strike till March 15 urging the chief justice-designate to withdraw the ‘illegal’ notification about shifting of the courts soon after assuming the office.

Justice Khan will take oath as the chief justice on March 8 as sitting Chief Justice Muhammad Ameer Bhatti, who notified the shifting of courts, is going to retire on March 7.

“We demand that after assuming the office, Chief Justice Khan withdraw the controversial notification to improve relations between the bar and the bench, and ensure timely justice for litigants,” Punjab Bar Council (PbBC) Vice Chairman Kamran Bashir Mughal said at the presser.

The bar leaders explained that the strike would continue in the civil and family courts shifted to Model Town.

They warned the lawyers of disciplinary action in case of violation of the strike.

They further demanded the construction of a new judicial complex in Lahore and the consolidation of all federal and other courts at one place to facilitate lawyers and litigants.

They announced that the PbBC would convene a joint meeting of all inter-provincial bar councils next week, where the future course of action regarding the notification of shifting courts would be decided.

Lahore High Court Bar Association President Asad Manzoor Butt, Lahore Bar Association President Muneer Hussain Bhatti, Supreme Court Bar Association President Shahzad Shaukat, and Pakistan Bar Council member Chaudhry Hafeezur Rehman also spoke.

Published in Dawn, March 2nd, 2024