- With Rs 1.25 billion already spent, Phase-II of FJA was meant to be a ‘Centre of Excellence’ for lawyers and judges
On November 2, 2013, Federal Judicial Academy’s (FJA) Phase-II was inaugurated by former chief justice (CJ) of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, barely a month before his retirement from the office.
The building was neither completely constructed nor ready for use back then and the work is still in progress, however, the desire to see his name on the inauguration board took better of him.
The former CJ launched an under construction building whose boundary is yet to be completed after almost three years as FJA struggles to bag the funds required to complete the brainchild of the former CJ.
The plan to expand Islamabad Sector H-8’s FJA was under consideration since 2004. The need for new classrooms and faculty residence was dire but due to lack of funds the project remained shelved. After CJ Ifikhar was restored, the project was revived as a ‘Centre of Excellence’ that would offer training to legal practitioners hailing from both bar and bench.
Originally, the cost of whole project was estimated around Rs 1000 million with a total area of 216581.345 sq-ft, comprising 145 classes and hostel rooms, apartments for faculty, servant quarters, a gymnasium and two basements. The work on project started in July, 2011 and substantial work was completed in record time. During July 2011 and November 2013, the work on site continued round the clock and in multiple shifts.
The project got adequate funds but the total cost has exceeded to Rs 250 million from the original estimation as more than Rs 1,250 million have been spent on the project.
An official requesting anonymity said, “No one is willing to own the project. Even authorities at FJA are clueless how to sustain this white elephant that keeps on asking more and more. The question therefore is of ownership of FJA Phase-II. Iftikhar owned it as he saw himself as chancellor and head of this‘Centre of Excellence’ after his retirement. It was an open secret even back then. The enthusiasm and interest showed by former CJ was rooted in this possibility, however, all of it went in vain.”
A senior corporate lawyer, who has taught for many years at the FJA when asked what purpose this abandoned academy can serve, said, “It is better to turn this huge, expensive building into a National Law University as there is not a single law university at national level in our country. As a matter of fact, this is the only suitable purpose this ‘Centre of Excellence’ can serve. There was a proposal of such university in the past but I guess it must be rotting in some file somewhere. It is about time that we take this initiative and save more than a billion rupees investment from disuse and ruin.”