Petition against Sindh government filed in SC

Petitioner has prayed before SC to declare Sindh Criminal Prosecution Amended Bill 2016 unconstitutional and void

ISLAMABAD: A petitioner challenged on Saturday the Sindh Criminal Prosecution Amended Bill 2016 in the Supreme Court of Pakistan, contending that by approving the bill the Sindh government misused its powers.

Mehmood Akhar Naqvi filed the constitutional petition in the apex court against the Bill, and prayed the court to disqualify Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah, Speaker Sindh Assembly Shehla Raza, and Sindh Minister for Education and Literacy Nisar Khuhro.

"The Sindh Criminal Prosecution Amended Bill 2016 aims to abscond the criminal elements from the hands of law," stated the petition.



Naqvi maintained that the approval of Sindh Criminal Prosecution Amended Bill 2016 was based on “mala fide intention” and misuse of power by the Sindh government.

The petitioner called for the court to declare the Bill unconstitutional and void.

CM Sindh Qaim Ali Shah, provincial assembly opposition leader Khwaja Izhar Ul Hassan, chief secretary Sindh and others are named as respondents in the petition.

On January 15, amid the opposition’s vehement protests, the Sindh Assembly passed a law allowing prosecutors to withdraw terrorism cases against any suspect at any stage with the court’s consent.



The latest amendments to the criminal prosecution law authorises the provincial government to withdraw pending cases before the court announces its judgment. The law also fixes the tenure of the prosecutor general for three years.

These legislative changes have been made at a time when the Sindh government and the Centre are already at loggerheads over the policing powers of Rangers as well as the ongoing trial of former minister Dr Asim Hussain on terrorism charges.