ICCI Committee for Shifting of Courts have appealed to the Federal Minister for Interior Ch. Nisar Ali Khan for arranging early shifting of district courts and some ICT offices from F-8 Markaz as their presence in this busy commercial center of the federal capital was posing serious security threats to the lives of honorable judges and lawyers as well as creating many problems for the traders and residents of the area. The Committee included Mr. Ejaz Abbasi as Chairman and Mr. Abdul Rauf Alam, Zubair Ahmed Malik, Khalid Malik and Naeem ur Piracha as its members. 

 

Addressing the Committee, Muzzamil Hussain Sabri, President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry said that being one of the biggest commercial centers of Islamabad, F-8 Markaz was not a suitable place for district courts in terms of safety and security. 

 

He said already two bomb blasts have occurred in F-8 Markaz in which at least 23 people were killed including an additional sessions judge and many more were wounded. These incidents also badly affected the business activities causing significant loss to the traders of the area. In this scenario, it was imperative to shift district courts from this business center to a safer place for ensuring proper security of judges and lawyers.

 

He said the presence of district courts in F-8 Markaz was also a source of inconvenience for the residents and traders and it was high time that government should make necessary arrangements for their urgent shifting. Appreciating the government’s initiative to shift the offices of the chief commissioner and deputy commissioner from Sector F-8 to Sector G-11/4, he urged that the district courts and the remaining ICT offices should also be moved from this area.

 

The Committee members said that apart from the courts, many schools and offices have also been set up in this important business centre which cause traffic jams during rush hours. They said their existence has also created parking problems in the area and emphasized that the local administration should look into all these problems and take necessary measures to address them on priority basis.