ISLAMABAD - Inadequate security measures and vulnerability of the District Courts premises of federal capital pose serious threats to judges and lawyers as well as the hundreds of litigants visiting the premises daily to pursue their legal matters.
In this regard, the legal fraternity has expressed serious concerns over the poor security arrangements and lack of facilities in the district courts premises.
District courts of the federal capital are situated in the commercial centre of Sector F-8, which also includes important offices, like Excise and Taxation Office. Furthermore, Hamdard University and commercial plazas and the offices of multinational companies are also situated there, which makes it the most congested area of the sector.
The area presents muddled look as not only the chambers of lawyers but a number of refreshment centres, restaurants, cobblers and makeshift offices also offering stamp papers, affidavits and attestation, are all mingled up without any planning.
The premises has eight entry points where walkthrough gates are installed which are not in working condition and most of the time, security officials deputed there are also remained absent.
A quick round of district court reveals that there are only four female security officials deputed at the entry points while the individual search prior to entry is also their discretion.
President Islamabad High Court Bar Association (IHCBA) Advocate Haroon Rashid expressed his concerns over the poor security measures at district courts and termed them as security hazards. He said that a boundary wall was erected around the premises when the Commissioner's office was present there but the same had been broken at many places since no attention was given to repair it after the shifting of Commissioner's office and there is also no security personnel deputed to avoid any untoward situation.
Haroon demanded of the authorities to deploy Elite Force in the premises and fencing the walls with barbed wires.
Talking to The Nation, President Islamabad District Bar Association (IDBA) Advocate Anwar Shah termed the security problem of the district courts as very serious issue and lamented that police as well as Islamabad administration are not ready to cooperate with the legal community in this connection. He said that the security arrangements taken for judges, lawyers, and litigants are very poor. Anwar opined that security should be more effective and enhanced to ensure safety of general public visiting the court regularly.
The DBA president told that member planning Capital Development Authority (CDA) is creating hurdles in extension work for lawyers' new chambers despite the clear directions of Registrar Islamabad High Court (IHC) in this regard.
Highlighting the various issues facing lawyers in the premises, media coordinator of IDBA and IHCBA Advocate Chaudhary Khalid Hussain said that security gadgets and metal detectors are not in operative conditions, which pose serious life threats to all who visit the area.
He told that they had requested many times to the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Police to provide district courts with proper security but they paid no attention towards this issue.
He also mentioned that the district courts lack all kind of facilities for the visitors and litigants and even there is no sitting place for them. Khalid was of the view that the security personnel did not know how to deal with people while there were many 'fraudsters' as well who often deprived people of their valuables.
He wanted that his community members should start a campaign against those who are not lawyers but wear black coats and appear in different courts as lawyers, thus they can be a potential security threat.
Expressing his dissatisfaction over the current arrangements and vulnerability of the court premises, Advocate Farooq Iqbal Khan said that currently, not even a single policeman is deployed around the courts, which has aggravated the security situation. He said that the threats were being received by lawyers and anyone could take lawyers hostage and abduct them at gunpoint.
Many visitors have also expressed same reservations. They said that many of the restaurants and eateries, makeshift stalls of cobblers and others are a constant threat for untoward incident as these spots are often crowded by Afghanis.
A frequent visitor of the area, Amjad Khan, said that it is the responsibility of the police to provide the area with security, but so far they have not done anything about the situation. Similarly, Kamran Aslam, a shopkeeper at the courts, said that visitors always complained about the security arrangements at the courts. He added that they viewed it as a security hazard, as it remained crowded throughout the day with no police cover.
It is also pertinent to mention here that in the past, many incidents of exchange of fire and brawl have taken place at the premises. One also cannot forget the bomb blast on July 17, 2007 when people busy in preparations to welcome Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry were targeted. In the bomb blast incident, four people lost their lives while PTI leader Dr Israr Shah was deprived of his both legs.