ISLAMABAD, Sept 19: Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Abdul Hameed Dogar has assured that the issue of allotment of suitable land and construction of a lawyers’ hostel would be taken up with the federal government and the requisite accommodation facility would be constructed on priority basis.

Justice Dogar was talking to the members of the Pakistan Bar Council’s executive committee, including Chaudhry Mohammad Ashraf Wahla, Mirza Aziz Akbar Baig, Mohammad Kazim Khan, Mohammad Ramzan Chaudhry, Pervaiz Inayat Malik and Raja Mohammad Shafqat Khan Abbasi, who called on him here on Friday.

The PBC members, who are senior lawyers, discussed the problems relating to office space for the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) as well as boarding and lodging of the lawyers visiting Islamabad.

They requested that the government should be approached for allotting appropriate land for the construction of a lawyers’ hostel so that the attorneys are able to have comfortable and economical accommodation in Islamabad during their visits.

The chief justice directed the Supreme Court (SC) registrar to immediately provide two rooms to the PBC for official use. He also stated that additional blocks were being built in the Supreme Court and on completion of the construction, more office space would be allotted to the PBC.

The bar members informed the chief justice of the problems faced by the attorneys in general and the lawyers practicing in the Supreme Court in discharging their professional duties in the dispensation of justice.

They stated that the bar members were facing difficulty in receiving the cause lists of cases well before time. Cases of the lawyers from different parts of the country are fixed at short notice and the lawyers face great hardships in making their travel and other arrangements.

Justice Dogar directed the SC office to issue the proposed cause list at least two weeks in advance while the weekly final cause list would be issued at least three days prior to the week. He also directed the office to upload the cause lists on the court’s website for the information and convenience of the lawyers and the litigant public. He also issued instructions that the urgent cases should be fixed in the light of the requests made by the lawyers and the office should give priority in fixation to old cases.