20 CM advisers challenged in court
Advisers are not elected representatives, says petition filed by Barrister Zamir Ghumro.
KARACHI:
The Sindh government’s decision to appoint 20 people as advisers to the chief minister even though they are not elected representatives is the subject of a petition that the Sindh High Court is likely to hear on Monday.
The constitutional petition was filed by Barrister Zamir Ghumro here on Saturday. He named the Sindh government and law secretary among the respondents. “The petition was filed as the present government is directionless and has failed to deliver despite [incurring] huge expenses on a cabinet and advisers,” Barrister Ghumro told The Express Tribune when asked for the justification for filing the petition. He said that in fact, the Sindh government was being run by unelected people while elected representatives and the mandate of the electorate were being “insulted”.
The advisers, whose appointments he is questioning include Sharmila Farooqui (information and archives with minister status), Imtiaz Shaikh (tourism with ministerial status), Jameel Ahmed Soomro (ministerial status and previously information adviser), Nawab Dilwar Khanji, Kaiser Bengali (planning and development and ministerial status), Imamuddin Shoqeen (recently changed to mines and minerals with ministerial status), Aamir Khan Bhutto (no portfolio), Zubair Motiwala (investment), Fazalur Rahman (special initiatives), Ghulam Qadir Malkani (coastal development), Babar Leghari (no portfolio) and Siddique Abu Bhai (no portfolio), who is alleged to be the frontman of the chief minister.
Barrister Ghumro has argued that someone who had not been elected cannot be given the status of a minister. He has prayed the court to take notice of the alleged violations of Article 130 of the Constitution of Pakistan. Seventeen out of 20 notifications have been issued for these advisers.
The Express Tribune earlier reported that each adviser gets Rs20,000 to Rs22,000 in house rent and Rs100,000 in discretionary grants per year. They have free medical allowances for the whole family, a limitless official telephone allowance and a 2,000-call limit on their residential phone as well as an official car.
Barrister Ghumro has argued that the advisers who have been legally appointed are Rashid Hussain Rabbani (adviser on political affairs with the status of a provincial minister), Senator Gul Muhammad Lot, Qurban Ali Behan, Waqas Malik and Mufti Ferozuddin Hazarvi, as they are within the limit prescribed by the Constitution.
Talking to The Express Tribune, adviser Imtiaz Shaikh said that he was not aware of the petition, but he had been appointed legally as adviser to the CM. “The government issued a notification and it will respond to the court,” he said, adding that the number of advisers was enhanced in the interest of political reconciliation and each party was given a quota in the Sindh cabinet.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 23rd, 2011.
The Sindh government’s decision to appoint 20 people as advisers to the chief minister even though they are not elected representatives is the subject of a petition that the Sindh High Court is likely to hear on Monday.
The constitutional petition was filed by Barrister Zamir Ghumro here on Saturday. He named the Sindh government and law secretary among the respondents. “The petition was filed as the present government is directionless and has failed to deliver despite [incurring] huge expenses on a cabinet and advisers,” Barrister Ghumro told The Express Tribune when asked for the justification for filing the petition. He said that in fact, the Sindh government was being run by unelected people while elected representatives and the mandate of the electorate were being “insulted”.
The advisers, whose appointments he is questioning include Sharmila Farooqui (information and archives with minister status), Imtiaz Shaikh (tourism with ministerial status), Jameel Ahmed Soomro (ministerial status and previously information adviser), Nawab Dilwar Khanji, Kaiser Bengali (planning and development and ministerial status), Imamuddin Shoqeen (recently changed to mines and minerals with ministerial status), Aamir Khan Bhutto (no portfolio), Zubair Motiwala (investment), Fazalur Rahman (special initiatives), Ghulam Qadir Malkani (coastal development), Babar Leghari (no portfolio) and Siddique Abu Bhai (no portfolio), who is alleged to be the frontman of the chief minister.
Barrister Ghumro has argued that someone who had not been elected cannot be given the status of a minister. He has prayed the court to take notice of the alleged violations of Article 130 of the Constitution of Pakistan. Seventeen out of 20 notifications have been issued for these advisers.
The Express Tribune earlier reported that each adviser gets Rs20,000 to Rs22,000 in house rent and Rs100,000 in discretionary grants per year. They have free medical allowances for the whole family, a limitless official telephone allowance and a 2,000-call limit on their residential phone as well as an official car.
Barrister Ghumro has argued that the advisers who have been legally appointed are Rashid Hussain Rabbani (adviser on political affairs with the status of a provincial minister), Senator Gul Muhammad Lot, Qurban Ali Behan, Waqas Malik and Mufti Ferozuddin Hazarvi, as they are within the limit prescribed by the Constitution.
Talking to The Express Tribune, adviser Imtiaz Shaikh said that he was not aware of the petition, but he had been appointed legally as adviser to the CM. “The government issued a notification and it will respond to the court,” he said, adding that the number of advisers was enhanced in the interest of political reconciliation and each party was given a quota in the Sindh cabinet.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 23rd, 2011.