KARACHI: The legal fraternity opposed on Saturday a reported plan of the government to shift the proposed courts for district Korangi and warned of an indefinite boycott of the courts in case of the shifting.

Speaking to lawyers at a general body meeting of the Karachi Bar Association (KBA) held at the Shuhada-i-Punjab Hall of the City Courts, its leadership termed it a move to divide the legal community and said scattering the courts at different places would be a great deal of inconvenience for lawyers.

The provincial government had notified Korangi as the sixth district in the Karachi Division in November last year.

The KBA said the government was planning to move the courts of the recently made district from the district courts east to out of the City Court premises.

According to a resolution adopted during the general body meeting, the proposal to move courts was aimed at weakening the strength of bar. If it was implemented, the legal fraternity would boycott the court proceedings for an indefinite period of time, the meeting threatened.

Lack of space on the premises of City Courts was an excuse to cover up the failure of government as despite repeated promises, the authorities concerned had failed to get the adjacent treasury office vacated which could house several courts, the resolution said.

Moreover, it recommended that the residences of judges adjacent to the City Courts could also be temporarily utilised for the courts and the occupants might be shifted to the Malir Judicial Housing Complex.

A sit-in would be staged outside the treasury office if the government did not issue its shifting order within a week, the resolution concluded.

Published in Dawn, May 25th, 2014