Punjab Chief Minister Mohammad Shahbaz Sharif has advised the special committee of the Lahore Bar Association (LBA) to submit its recommendations within next ten days to resolve lawyers community's problems on priority basis.
He was talking to a delegation of LBA and Deputy Speaker Rana Mashood Ahmad Khan that met him under the leadership of President LBA, Sajid Bashir, here on Friday. Deputy Speaker Khan and office-bearers of the bar were also present on the occasion.
He said that no society could survive without justice, therefore, the government has made a threefold increase in the salaries of subordinate judiciary so that judges could have economic security and they make every effort for the provision of inexpensive and prompt justice to the people.
The government was bearing an additional expenditure of one billion rupees due to increase in the salaries of subordinate judiciary and this increase has been made even without the demand of subordinate judiciary so that speedy justice could be made available to the people, he said.
The chief minister said national resources should be utilised only for the welfare of the masses and now it was the responsibility of subordinate judiciary to perform duties with honesty and commitment so that immediate relief could be provided to the people.
The Punjab government was not spending funds on palatial buildings but was promoting the culture of austerity and utilising public money for the welfare and betterment of the masses. The lawyers should play their due role for providing speedy and inexpensive justice to the people, he added. He said he supported the construction of a multi-storey building for the lawyers' chambers while their other demands including housing colony and medical facilities would also be considered in the near future.
Earlier, President LBA, Sajid Bashir, Vice President Syed Lubna, General Secretary Qasim Hassan Buttar and other office-bearers apprised the chief minister of the problems of the bar and lawyers. The chief minister also held a meeting with his party workers where strategy of contesting bye-election of NA-123 was also discussed. "The workers were the asset of the party and their proposals and suggestions would always be given priority," he added.
He said the government was utilising all its resources for the welfare of the people and credit goes to the present government for giving a relief package of Rs 8 billion to the common man in Ramzan-ul-Mubarak and ensuring easy availability of Atta, sugar and other items in every nook and corner of the province.