HYDERABAD, Oct 14: Sindh Law Minister Ayaz Soomro has said that law officers of his ministry have been directed to protect Sindh government’s thousands of acres of land worth billions of rupees and litigation is going-on in several cases of forgery and interpolation of record.

He said that Sindh government departments had been asked not to engage private counsels for pursuing their cases because provincial law officers were heavily paid by government to defend it. He supported defunct commissioner system in the province.

He was speaking at a news conference here at circuit house on Tuesday. The minister said that he had chaired a meeting of district attorneys, deputy district attorneys, solicitors of Hyderabad division and issued strict directive to them to protect government land and verify record where forgery had been done in case of forcible occupation of government land. “Feudal elements should not consider state land as their fief”, he said.

He blamed past rulers for transferring land in their name and their relatives to occupy the same. “The rulers in the past prepared fake records for themselves and for their relatives for forest’s and revenue department’s lands”, he said. He stated that appeals should be filed in case the verdict is announced against government.

“I have asked my law officers to brief me regarding their complaints against various departments if they are not getting due cooperation from them regarding cases”, he said.

He added that it had been noted that normally ex-parte judgements are passed against government because there is no one to pursue the cases. He said that now record of government land was being computerised that had not been done in the past. He said that he was going to open Pandora box as to who had occupied government land illegally in the province. He asked law officers to identify who is responsible for lingering on cases.

“From today on-wards no government department would hire advocates privately and they would be represented by district attorneys, deputy district attorneys and other law officers in courts. These lawyers are well paid and working up to BPS19”, he said.

He said that magisterial powers were also being delegated to deputy district officers (DDO) and district officers as far as price-hike is concerned. He said that these revenue officers would conduct summary trial of violators of official price lists by taking action against violators. “The shopkeepers are required to display official price lists or face action”, he said. He informed that provincial assembly didn’t have its required sittings but present assembly would have 70 sittings while 52 days had been completed to ensure true legislation.

He said that provincial law department would offer free legal assistance to 171 women prisoners in courts. He claimed that night courts’ plan had been finalised and these courts would soon start working to give speedy justice. He supported defunct commissionerate system in Sindh province as well. “I don’t understand what these DDO and EDOs mean. I simply don’t know what this is all about”, he said.

He said that lawyers offices would be established in Hyderabad, Larkana and Sukkur divisions and well-furnished offices were being set-up for law officers so that they should work in a better environment. He stressed the need for close coordination between law and police and revenue departments to pursue the cases in courts.

Regarding Hindu Gymkhana’s controversy, he said that his department had given an impartial opinion to culture department through chief secretary Sindh which had been received there. He said that rights of Hindu community would be protected.

He said that 71 civil judges would be appointed while 91 judges had been promoted as senior civil judges.

About forthcoming visit of deposed chief justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry to Hyderabad on October 18, he said that he could go anywhere. “We respect Iftikhar Chaudhry and he could visit any place any time he likes but I am not aware that he is due in Hyderabad on October 18”, he said. He, however, said that his party believed in strengthening of institutions instead of supporting individuals.

He said that high court judges had been given their seniority when they took fresh oath for reinstatement as per 1973’s constitution. “We are not raising any hurdle in reinstatement of deposed chief justice”, he said. He said that those women who are getting Rs6,000 or less monthly salary would be financially assisted under Benazir Bhutto Support Programme.