SHC seeks replies over creation of new provinces

Court wants evidence to disqualify Faryal Talpur, other PPP leaders

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) asked on Tuesday the petitioner, who requested for the division of Sindh into seven provinces, to inform it about the legal procedure for the creation of so many provinces.

In its reply to an earlier notice issued by the court, the Sindh government asked how Karachi could be separated from Sindh on the administrative basis.

The court summoned the chief secretary, Karachi commissioner and five others on July 5 to submit detailed answers. The SHC observed that despite Karachi being labeled as 'mini Pakistan', it was receiving the worst possible treatment. The court remarked that people were willing to slit each other's throats in the city, adding that Karachi had also been facing severe water and power crises.

Complaints that are being filed with the judicial commission on water and sanitation make one cry as it seems officers on higher positions have no shame left, remarked the SHC.

The bench regretted that in Europe and other developed countries, there is no city whose population exceeds five million, whereas, the population of Karachi had increased to 25 million.



The court also regretted the fact that thieves and criminals could easily contest elections after the recent changes in the nomination forms.

PPP leaders' disqualification

Meanwhile, the SHC sought evidence on petitions seeking disqualification of Faryal Talpur and other Pakistan Peoples Party leaders on the basis of their iqamas.

The petitioners had requested the SHC to disqualify former provincial ministers and other PPP leaders, including Syed Nasir Hussain Shah, Manzoor Wassan, Sohail Anwar Siyal and Sardar Nawab Ghaibi Chandio, from contesting elections as they allegedly held iqamas of Middle Eastern countries, which they did not reveal in official documents.

The SHC has asked the petitioners' lawyers to come prepared to the court for arguments. Citing the recent Supreme Court (SC) ruling which allowed Khawaja Asif to contest elections who had earlier been disqualified by the Islamabad High Court, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar asked a lawyer what was the position of his case after the SC's ruling, to which the lawyer replied that the petition he was arguing for pertained to the iqama of Chandio that he did not disclose in the nomination papers.



Chandio's lawyer informed the court that his client was not a member of the Sindh Assembly anymore, hence, the petition did not merit to be heard. The lawyer argued that the Election Commission of Pakistan was the proper forum to approach if anyone had any complaint regarding assembly members.

The SHC also issued notices to the advocate-general and additional attorney-general and called arguments from them keeping in view the rulings on the Rehman Malik and Khawaja Asif cases. The court also told the lawyers to prepare their arguments in light of the SC verdicts in similar cases.

The hearing was adjourned till June 12.