ISLAMABAD, July 19: After the revival of National Industrial Relations Commission (NIRC), the plan to shift the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to its building has been abandoned.
A source in IHC told Dawn that under the 18th amendment after the devolution of the Ministry of Labour and Manpower, NIRC had also been transferred to the provinces, its building became vacant. He said after the re-establishment of IHC, its administration decided to shift to NIRC's vacant building.
In early June, IHC Chief Justice Iqbal Hameedur Rehman had formed a committee to expedite the process of shifting to NIRC building. The committee comprised secretaries of law and justice, finance, housing and works, chief commissioner Islamabad, chairman Capital Development Authority and registrar IHC.
According to him, the IHC administration had also planned to attach another 20 kanals situated next to NIRC building to the proposed layout plan of the court.
But as the land had been already allotted to Senate Secretariat for setting up offices for chairpersons of its standing committees, the IHC administration was in talks with the officials of the upper house.
According to the source, lawyers and bureaucracy had been against relocating IHC to the NIRC building.
Chaudhry Mohammad Ashraf, president IHC Bar Association and a staunch opponent of relocating IHC, told Dawn the building was not suitable for IHC as its total area is about four kanals and can only accommodate 50 to 60 people. “IHC needs a building with sufficient space for its 350 employees and hundreds of litigants.”
Chaudhry Ashraf added that the proposed IHC site was not only congested but also lacked sufficient space for car parking.
“In a joint resolution, more than 3,000 lawyers of both Islamabad District Bar and IHC Bar Association had unanimously rejected the shifting.”
He suggested that if relocation was indispensable the administration may go for a plot situated near Radio Pakistan building.
Although this plot had also been allotted to National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Chaudhry Ashraf maintained that IHC can easily acquire about 20 kanals out of 50-kanal plot
Secretary Law and Justice Masood Chishti, who is heading a sub-committee on shifting IHC, said there were certain “variables and issues” hindering the relocation to NIRC building.“We are also examining other suitable places, including the land allotted to NDMA for possible relocation of IHC.”
Ateequr Rehman, registrar IHC, said shifting to NIRC was an “option” and not a “final decision of the authority”. He said the current IHC building was built for district courts, adding that is why the authorities had decided to shift to a permanent and better location.