KARACHI - The Sindh government has suggested that the Sindh High Court should establish more District and Sessions and women courts in the province. However, the provincial government can only suggest and provide funds to execute the projects as Supreme Court of Pakistan is the competent authority to take a final decision in this regard. Law Minister Muhammad Ayaz Soomro informed the Sindh Assembly during question hour on Tuesday. The session started at 11:30am, one and half hours late than schedule time of 9:30am with Speaker Nisar Ahmed Khuhro in the chair. MQM MPA Heer Ismail Soho sought information about the establishment of new courts during the period from 2002 to 2008, at which the Law Minster in his written answer said that new courts were established i-e 4 district and sessions courts in Umerkot, Shahdadkot, Kashmore and Jamshoro. Besides setting up of 24 family courts in each judicial districts of the province such as Karachi East, West, South, Malir and Central, family courts were also established in Thatta, Badin, Hyderabad, Tharparkar, Mithi, Umerkot, Sanghar, Nawabshah, Dadu, Nausheroferoz, Khairpur, Sukkur, Jacobabad, Ghotki, Shikarpur, Larkana, Mirpurkhas, Kashmore, Shahdadkot and Jamshoro during 2002 to 2008. The lawmakers raising supplementary question reminded the government that many Tehsils were running without women and sessions courts as people were facing hardships as they have to go far away to cities from their areas. They also demanded the government to establish sessions and female courts in Tehsils which are running without judicial system. Replying to the queries of the legislators, the Law Minister told the house that the Law Department has suggested the Chief Justice of Sindh High Court the establishment of female and sessions courts in the province of Sindh. The Judiciary is independent and establishment of the new courts is solely its prerogative, the minister said. , adding that the government is here to abide by every decision of the judiciary. Meanwhile, replying to another question, the law minister said that in pursuance of the decision of the government of Sindh, the spelling of Province from 'Sind to 'Sindh was changed and such notification was issued by then Chief Secretary in 1989. Opposition member Arif Mustafa Jatoi raising supplementary question sought that whether constitution was followed in changing the name of province because amendment in constitution was necessary to change the name of the province. The minister replied that name of the Sindh province was not changed, but a minor addition was made in its spelling. To another question, Ayaz Soomro informed the House that 56,451 criminal cases were pending with the courts in the province. Sharing details of the cases, he said that 8,860 cases were pending in Karachi East, 1,986 in Karachi West, 4,305 in Karachi South, 3,698 in Karachi Central and 4, 324 criminal cases were pending with courts in Karachi Malir district. The minister further said that 1,000 lawyers had been recruited as Public Prosecutors by the PPP government, while advertisement had made to appoint other officers in the Law Department. Yet to another question, the Law Minster said that the federal government provided Rs80 million to the Sindh Bar Association as grant, besides a hostel will be established in Karachi to facilitate lawyers who come from other areas of the province.