Sindh govt’s accounts to be frozen on failure to act

Supreme Court orders outstanding dues to be paid to 98 KDA employees by Dec 28

KARACHI: The Supreme Court (SC) warned the Sindh government on Friday that its accounts would be frozen if it failed to ensure that the salaries of Karachi Development Authority employees, which had been outstanding for the last 17 months, were not paid by December 28.

An irate bench of the apex court further cautioned that in case the provincial government failed to make the outstanding payment, the court will be compelled to pass an order.

The bench, comprising justices Gulzar Ahmed and Sajjad Ali Shah, issued these directives and warnings while hearing a petition regarding non-payment of salaries to 98 KDA employees who were sent on deputation to the Malir Development Authority.

Taking up the matter at the SC's Karachi Registry, the judges inquired from Advocate-General Zamir Ghumro whether the KDA had paid the salaries and other dues owed to employees as ordered by the court on November 28.

He informed the court that the disbursement of the dues among the employees could not be done, as the KDA did not have enough funds because its operations were hampered by the stay order passed by the court in some other case.



Taking serious exception to the state of affairs, the judges kept aside the matter for some time, ordering the AG to ensure the outstanding dues were cleared by 11am on December 28.

Later, the top government law officer appeared along with the KDA director-general.

Ghumro informed the judges that a summary had been forwarded, requesting the provincial government to provide grant-in-aid to the authority to enable it pay the outstanding dues to the employees. He maintained that the chief minister would hopefully approve the summary after which the payments will be made.

Justice Shah inquired from the MDA DG about the utilisation of funds allocated to the authority in the annual budget.

The DG informed the court that the funds allocated in the last budget had lapsed in June, as the same could not be utilised under the heads the money was earmarked for.

This visibly irked the judges, who told AG Ghumro to approach the CM to sign the summary immediately so that the grant could be issued to the authority and it could further be disbursed among the employees.



Making bungled attempts to rescue the government, the AG said the CM was not in the city to sign the summary. When the judges repeatedly asked where the CM had gone, the AG replied he was on leave. His confused reply filled the courtroom with laughter.

The bench members asked the KDA DG since when he had not received his salary, to which the officer remained silent.

To the court's query, the DG said he had been working as information secretary and was given the additional charge of the director-general's post in November this year.

"So you are cozy," remarked Justice Ahmed, questioning under what law he was given the additional charge.

Refuting the director-general's claim of having no funds, the employees informed the bench that the authority still had enough money available to pay their dues. They added that the KDA had also received a huge sum from private real estate developer Bahria Town.

The irate bench members remarked that "we will stop the salaries of all the secretaries."

AG Ghumro said it will take 15 days to sort out matters. "We are not concerned with the summary, but want that the payment is made to the employees," Justice Ahmed told the law officer after his third attempt to save the government.



The judges observed it was better to wind up the development authority if it had become a liability for the Sindh government.

The apex court ordered the KDA DG and AG to ensure payment of all the dues to the employees as ordered by the court in its November 28 order by Thursday (December 28).

"The state of Pakistan is directed to attach the accounts of the Sindh government in case of non-payment," ordered the apex court. It further cautioned that the court will be compelled to pass an order in case the payment of salaries was not affected by the next date of hearing.