KARACHI, Aug 5: The National Assembly's standing committee on local government and rural development has recommended the relocation of the National Accountability Bureau courts functioning in the premises of the Municipal Training and Research Institute, Karachi.

The committee, which met here on Thursday under the chairmanship of MNA Maulana Hamidul Haq Haqqani, during its visit to the MTRI, recommended that the courts be shifted to some appropriate place, so that both the courts as well as the MTRI, the only urban management training institute in the country, could function properly.

The committee decided that the LGRD minister should take up this matter with the prime minister. Mr Qaiser Iqbal, Administrative Judge, NAB, assured the body that the institute's premises would be immediately vacated subject to provision of some proper alternative, keeping in view the sensitivity of the working of the NAB and Drug courts.

The body observed that a high concentration of the security personnel, essential for the NAB and Drug courts' working, had spoiled the congenial educational environment at the institute.

During the meeting, the committee members, Maulana Marajuddin Khan and Khuram Munawar Manj, observed that Law, Justice and Human Rights ministry being an appropriate forum, be sensitized for amicable and urgent resolution of the matter.

Federal LGRD Minister Malik Muhammad Ajmal Khan emphasized the need for resolution of this matter keeping in view the purpose of the MTRI, as well as the sanctity and dignity of the courts.

The meeting was attended by representatives of local government ministry and the NAB court's administrative Judge. The committee also took serious notice of the absence of director- general, Pakistan Public Works Department, and decided to defer issues relating to the PWD till its next meeting, so that the DG could brief the committee about complaints of irregularities in the development schemes of some of the Parliament members.

The committee will hold its next session on Friday (today). Mualana Haqqani, briefing newsmen after the meeting, said that objective of the meeting was to recommend concrete proposals so that it could be forwarded to the federal government to get the MTRI building vacated, so that it could be used for its original purpose.

"We have asked the representatives of the NAB and Law Ministry to find some other suitable place in Karachi for the courts, as the (MTRI) building should be vacated to be used for the training of people for the local government system," he added.

A final decision can only be taken after the meeting of the law and LGRD ministries on Aug 12 in Islamabad, he maintained. He further said that the meeting also discussed the utilization of funds by senators and MNAs belonging to Karachi. -APP/PPI