Women lawyers across Punjab will soon get separate bar rooms following the directions from Lahore High Court Chief Justice Aalia Neelum. A pilot project has been successfully completed at the Jand Tehsil Bar Association in Attock, where the first ever dedicated ladies' bar room is now operational. The women lawyers hailed Chief Justice Aalia Neelum for addressing their long-standing demand and acknowledged her efforts in this regard.

For years, female lawyers in most populous province had been facing difficulties due to the absence of separate bar rooms in district and tehsil bar associations. To share their concerns, a delegation of women lawyers recently met Chief Justice Neelum who took swift action and approved the construction of 98 separate state-of-the-art ladies’ bar rooms across Punjab. 

The Jand bar room, completed as the pilot phase, includes modern amenities such as high-quality furniture, a dedicated kitchen, a daycare center, and a play area for children. Meanwhile, the construction is underway in other districts and tehsils to establish similar dedicated spaces for female lawyers, who previously had to work in shared bar rooms without appropriate facilities.

President of Jand Tehsil Bar, Nighat Shamim, said that the chief justice had fulfilled a long-standing demand of women lawyers.“We faced many challenges, but under her directive, the building was completed in record time and includes every essential facility,” she stated. Moreover, Punjab Bar Council Vice Chairman Irfan Sadiq Tarar also commended Chief Justice Aalia Neelum for remarkable project.

“She is resolving the issues of lawyers—especially women lawyers—on a priority basis and deserves high praise for her commitment,” Tarar said.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)