ISLAMABAD, April 8: The Federal Services Tribunal (FST) has proposed that the government should increase the number of benches from five to eleven for early disposal of service matters, sources in the law ministry told Dawn on Thursday.

The FST had requested the law ministry to increase the number of benches by one each at Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad while establishing more benches each in Peshawar, Quetta and Multan because litigants had to travel long distance to attend the hearing of their cases.

Presently, only five benches are functioning - three in Islamabad and one each in Lahore and Karachi. The law ministry however seems unmoved about the proposal, the sources said, adding that since the suggestion entailed financial implication, the proposal was still under the consideration stage. Currently, the FST is working with eleven members, including the chairman.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the FST when approached conceded that till the end of March, the total pendency at the FST was 13,549 cases, while it disposed of 9,308 appeals till date.