LAHORE - Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has said that Pakistan is passing through a critical phase of its history and there is a dire need of national unity and harmony.
The chief minister was talking to the legislators who met him, on Wednesday. They included Syed Haroon Ahmd Sultan Bukhari, Malik Nadeem Kamran, Sajid Mehdi, Basit Bukhari, Begum Iffat Liaquat, MPA Malik Nawaz, Bao Akhtar and Nighat Sheikh.
“Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has the support of all political forces and government is making all decisions to counter the challenges with collective wisdom. Nation is united in the war against terrorism, extremism and sectarianism and terrorists will be defeated with the force of national unity,” the CM held. He said that the mission of making Pakistan a haven of peace would be completed. Also, Shahbaz Sharif during a meeting with the delegation of Lahore High Court Bar Association approved annual grant to the bar associations in the province that would be backed by the legislation from the assembly. The chief minister also announced a special grant of Rs40 million for the LHCBA.
A delegation led by the LHCBA President Pir Masood Chishti had called on the Chief Minister. Talking to the delegation, the chief minister said that lawyers played a key role in providing prompt justice to the people and their services for the stability of democratic system and supremacy of constitution were commendable.
He said that lawyer’s community would have to play an active role in ensuring justice to the citizens at police station and kutchery levels. He said that bar associations should come forward to play a positive role in the provision of prompt and inexpensive justice to the people.
He said that provision of justice to the common man at his doorstep is a big challenge and the role of lawyers’ community is very important in introducing reforms in the system of dispensation of justice.
The chief minister expressed the hope that lawyers community would continue to make its efforts in ensuring justice to the citizens. He said that effective measures have been adopted at every level in the province for ensuring merit and transparency. He said that the project of land record management information system is of vital importance in maintaining transparency and this project is continuing successfully in several Tehsils of Punjab.
Shahbaz Sharif further said that this project would soon be completed in all districts of the province at a cost of Rs 14 billion. He said that sit-in politics had caused a huge loss to national economy and projects had been delayed. However, he said, government was moving ahead with renewed determination for overcoming energy crisis and several power projects would become operational by the end of 2017.
The chief minister said that the Punjab government is taking solid steps for the welfare and betterment of lawyers’ community and medical facilities have also been made available to lawyers in hospitals.
He said that the problems being faced by lawyers will continue to be resolved on priority basis.
The delegation of Lahore High Court Bar Association assured the chief minister of full support to the measures taken by the government for provision of justice to the common man.
Pir Masood Chishti and others said that the chief minister was serving people of the province round the clock and had initiated several programmes for the welfare and uplift of the masses.
The delegation included Vice President of Lahore High Court Bar Association, Irfan Arif Sheikh, Secretary Muhammad Ahmed Qayyum and Finance Secretary Akhtar Hussain Sherazi.