KARACHI, March 10: The Sindh Assembly was informed on Thursday that there were no courts in three newly created districts of the province which had been carved out from district Hyderabad on political grounds.

Sindh Law Minister Muhammad Ayaz Soomro stated this in a written reply to a question raised by MPA Heer Ismail Soho who wanted to know district-wise number of civil and session courts in the province.

The minister was replying to various questions of legislators pertaining to his department.

The written reply of the minister contained the number of courts in five districts of Karachi and 19 districts out of the 22 districts of the interior of Sindh. There was no mention of any court in Matiari, Tando Mohammad Khan and Tando Allahyar districts, which the minister said had been carved out from Hyderabad district on political grounds.

The law minister, however, informed the house that the matter of setting up courts in the newly created districts was pending with the administrative committee of the apex court.

Answering a question of MPA Arif Mustafa Jatoi about the abolition of the concurrent legislative list, the minister said that several laws had become provincial laws and as soon as proposals were received from all the administrative departments, necessary amendments would be carried out in all the laws in due course of time.

The MPA had raised the question to know what changes were being brought in the Arbitration Act, 1940.

Answering questions of Ms Soho and Dr Nadeem Maqbool, the minister told the house that currently there were 14 law colleges in the province — S.M. Law College and Islamia Government Law College Karachi, Government Law College and Government Jinnah Law College Hyderabad, Government Pir Illahi Bux Law College Dadu, Quaid-i-Azam Law College Nawabshah, Mirpurkhas Law College, Government Law College Khairpur, Government A.B.D. Law College Sukkur, Law College Naushehro Feroze, Private Law College Ghotki, H.M.B. Law College Shikarpur, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Law College Larkana and Sardar Noor Muhammad Khan Bijarani Law College Kandhkot.

The minister also informed the house that the government had planned to establish more law colleges in the province.

Responding to another question of Mr Jatoi, the law minister informed the house that there were 114 public prosecutors in Sindh, including 14 district public prosecutors in grade 19, while the number of deputy district public prosecutors (grade 18) and assistant district public prosecutors (grade 17) was 63 and 37, respectively.

Replying to supplementary questions, the minister said that 1,000 lawyers had been appointed law officers over the past three years.

Answering another question, the minister said under the notified rules, the promotion of various categories of prosecutors to higher posts was to be made on a seniority-cum-fitness basis and performance of eligible prosecutors was also to be considered by the department promotion committee.

Mr Jatoi also asked the amount of total funds received by the department under the Access to Justice programme during July 1, 2008 till date and where the funds were utilised.

The minister said that the funds amounting to Rs74.69 million had been received for improvement in the existing infrastructure facilities of the judiciary. He added that the amount was placed at the disposal of the Sindh High Court and it was utilised.