Judges displeased with IHC building’s construction

Published October 4, 2023
A convoy of Pakistani army passes the Islamabad High Court building in Islamabad on August 29. — AFP/File
A convoy of Pakistani army passes the Islamabad High Court building in Islamabad on August 29. — AFP/File

ISLAMABAD: The full court meeting of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday expressed displeasure over the serious flaws found in the construction of the newly-built court building and deliberated upon conducting an in-depth inquiry through a reputable firm.

Chief Justice Aamer Farooq presided over the full court meeting.

The meeting also deliberated upon the live streaming of the court proceedings and constituted a two-judge committee comprising Justice Babar Sattar and Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz to devise a strategy and standard operating procedures (SOPs) for live streaming, sources said.

They further added that the committee would seek input from other judges of the IHC to formulate the SOPs for live streaming.

The meeting participants expressed displeasure over the lethargy of the Pakistan Public Works Department (PWD) after it failed to submit report on the inbuilt flaws in the construction of the IHC building which had cost at least Rs11 billion and took almost a decade to build.

Chief Justice Aamer Farooq ordered an inquiry after an elevator in the high court malfunctioned in August, stranding over a dozen people, including lawyers, for over 30 minutes.

The housing ministry was tasked to probe the incident, but it failed to fix responsibility.

On August 25, the high court ordered an inquiry and sought a report.

Sources told Dawn that an inquiry was conducted by the PWD, construction firm Habib Rafiq (Private) Limited and others which highlighted several faults in the elevator but did not hold anyone responsible for the flaws.

The report stated that the elevator lacked certain features, which were included in the prototype, as well as the given specifications. It, however, did not identify those who were responsible for the installation and maintenance of the elevator.

In addition to the faulty elevators, the new IHC building is plagued by a host of issues, such as an inefficient cooling system and improper parking lot for litigants and lawyers.

Similarly, the firefighting system, IT, lightning protection system and the security systems are yet to be installed in the building.

According to experts, the IHC building is the most expensive structure in the capital, incurring a cost of over Rs11 billion.

Published in Dawn, October 4th, 2023

Opinion

Editorial

Islamabad march
Updated 27 Nov, 2024

Islamabad march

WITH emotions running high, chaos closes in. As these words were being written, rumours and speculation were all...
Policing the internet
27 Nov, 2024

Policing the internet

IT is chilling to witness how Pakistan — a nation that embraced the freedoms of modern democracy, and the tech ...
Correcting sports priorities
27 Nov, 2024

Correcting sports priorities

IT has been a lingering battle that has cast a shadow over sports in Pakistan: who are the national sports...
Kurram ceasefire
Updated 26 Nov, 2024

Kurram ceasefire

DESPITE efforts by the KP government to bring about a ceasefire in Kurram tribal district, the bloodletting has...
Hollow victory
26 Nov, 2024

Hollow victory

THE conclusion of COP29 in Baku has left developing nations — struggling with the mounting costs of climate...
Infrastructure schemes
26 Nov, 2024

Infrastructure schemes

THE government’s decision to finance priority PSDP schemes on a three-year rolling basis is a significant step...