BY ALI IMRAN
ISLAMABAD: As the tally of coronavirus cases rises in the country, the federal government has requested apex and high courts to adjourn civil cases for three weeks. A summary of the minutes of the March 13 National Security Committee huddle was forwarded to Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmad with the following recommendations: Instruct all courts to not schedule cases of civil nature for three weeks and stop judicial magistrates and session court judges from visiting concerned jails for three weeks to process remand and bail cases.
It was decided that the move will be implemented by the Law and Justice Division, Office of the Attorney General of Pakistan and advocate generals of the provinces. Similar action has also been advised to the governments of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan ‘in consultation with respective judiciaries’ .
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has also issued a guideline on preventive measures to judges, lawyers, litigants, staff and security staff across the country in a bit to minimise the spread of COVID-19.
All judicial staff has been directed to ‘take stock of the preventive measures at high and district level courts’ . The top judge has called an emergency meeting of the National Judicial Policy Making Committee (NJPMC) on March 14 at 4:00pm at the apex court in Islamabad ‘to discuss the issue at length and devise an effective strategy for the courts’ . All chief justices of high courts are members of NJPMC.
Litigants represented by their counsels have been advised to avoid entering the Supreme Court premises to escape overcrowding but respondents and in-person petitioners/parties ‘may’ attend the court as and when summoned.
‘In Supreme Court Building, washbasins along with liquid soap dispensers have been installed at all entry gates so that people can enter into the building after washing/cleansing their hands. Fumigation has been done to disinfect the building and biometric attendance of the staff has been suspended,’ reads the advisory.
‘Medical Staff has been deputed at all entry points to monitor the temperature of every person regularly through Infrared Thermometers while entering in the Supreme Court Building and employees have been advised to wash their hands properly prior to joining their work or after receiving any file or document and avoid shaking hands/physical contact with office colleagues and use face masks.’ ‘Sanitizer dispensers have been installed in nook and corner of the building.’
There have now been more cases and more deaths outside mainland China than inside, with 180,000 cases worldwide and over 7,000 deaths. Pakistan’s tally for confirmed novel coronavirus stood at 189 early Tuesday with Sindh reporting five new cases.
