Work on judicial complex in Balakot to begin soon: official

MANSEHRA: District and Sessions Judge Sadia Arshad on Thursday said that construction work on the Balakot judicial complex would soon begin at the newly acquired site in the Bisian area of the tehsil.

“The courts have been functioning in makeshift shelters since the devastating earthquake of 2005. The government has approved funds, and the construction of a state-of-the-art judicial complex will soon commence,” she told lawyers in Balakot.

The official also visited the site of the land acquired for the judicial complex in Bisian. Tehsil Bar Association president Adeel Hussain Shah and other members were also present on the occasion.

She highlighted the hardships judges, lawyers, and litigants face due to the courts operating in temporary shelters with inadequate facilities.“The judicial complex will not only house courtrooms and lawyers’ offices but will also include waiting rooms for litigants and a basic health unit,” she added.

The district and sessions judge informed the legal fraternity that the Peshawar High Court had approved the design and additional facilities for the project.“The government departments concerned are set to initiate the tendering process for the Rs300 million judicial complexes,” she said

Speaking on the occasion, Adeel Hussain Shah said that the judges, lawyers and litigants had been facing significant challenges since the court buildings were destroyed in the 2005 earthquake.

“The government has acquired 20 kanals of ideal land outside the red zone in the Bisian area, along the Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad road, where the judicial complex will be constructed,” he said.