MANSEHRA: Twenty years have passed since Balakot was devastated by an earthquake but the local courts and lawyer chambers still function in makeshift shelters to the misery of advocates and litigants.
“The provincial government approved Rs570 million funds for the judicial complex and even tendering process for it was completed earlier this year but work has yet to begin,” Balakot Tehsil Bar Association president Sardar Ashfaq told reporters on Thursday.
He said judges, lawyers and litigants continued to bear the brunt of the 2005 earthquake, as the government, despite acquiring land outside the Red Zone in 2016, had failed to commence work on the judicial complex, lawyers’ offices, and waiting sheds for litigants.
“We are about to mark the 20th anniversary of the devastating tremors next month, yet survivors remain without adequate civic services,” he said.
Work on judicial complex awaited despite funding approval, tendering
Mr Ashfaq said those courts and offices didn’t even have basic facilities like lavatories, to the suffering of judicial officers, lawyers and litigants.
The bar president said the government had earmarked Rs150 million in the current fiscal year for the groundbreaking of the judicial complex and boundary wall, but no practical steps had been taken to start the project.
“The post of civil judge has been vacant for the last five consecutive years, delaying the disposal of cases and adding to the backlog,” he said.
Mr Ashfaq said that the chief justices of the Peshawar High Court had also visited the acquired piece of land many times.
He appealed to Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur to ensure the immediate release of Rs530 million for the construction of the judicial complex and lawyers’ chambers within the stipulated period.
TOURIST SECURITY: Deputy Inspector General of Police Hazara Range Nasir Mehmood Satti on Wednesday directed police to ensure foolproof security for Pakistanis and foreigners visiting Hazara or bound for Gilgit-Baltistan.
“Hospitality is the pride and centuries-old tradition of our province. You should welcome national and foreign tourists wholeheartedly on your soil, instead of asking irrelevant questions that have nothing to do with your professional obligations,” Mr Satti said during a workshop at the Police Training School here.
Police personnel from Haripur, Abbottabad, Mansehra, Battagram, Torghar, Kolai-Palas and Upper and Lower Kohistan attended the workshop.
The DIG said Hazara was blessed with towering mountains, serene lakes and vast meadows, attracting visitors from across the country and abroad.
“We must provide foolproof security to tourists instead of handling them in an unprofessional way to discourage tourism,” he said.
On the occasion, SP Rashim Jehangir urged police personnel to recognise their professional responsibilities and avoid acts that could tarnish the department’s image.
She said if police welcomed visitors and gave them a sense of security, tourism would be enhanced.
Published in Dawn, September 11th, 2025
