Sindh High Court grants time for reply in fund allocation case

Sheerazi alleges govt discrimination in funding for Thatta and Sajawal

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) granted on Tuesday time for submission of reply by March 13, on the pleas relating to the provision of developmental funds in districts of Thatta and Sajawal.

Additional Advocate General argued that the petitioner, Aijaz Shah Sheerazi, has changed the party and has now joined the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). The two-member bench comprising Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Justice Agha Faisal asked the lawyer to check with the petitioner if he still wanted to proceed with the case. The Additional Advocate General asked for time to submit the reply.

The bench accepted the Sindh government's request and granted time for the submission of reply till March 13.

The petitioner had maintained that was using the Community Development Funds for particular areas and people. The deputy commissioners are neglecting their constituencies on the instructions of the PPP government. However, the government lawyer maintained that no instructions were given by the government to ignore any particular area on political basis.



Request granted

The same bench accepted the request of the petitioner's lawyer seeking time to file amended plea challenging the Sindh Universities Amendment Bill 2018.

The petitioner, Altaf Shakoor, in his plea argued that the Sindh governor used to be the chancellor of the universities, but now all the power has been transferred to the chief minister through the act. The new law will worsen the conditions of the universities like the schools in the province. He had alleged that efforts were being made to close the doors of education on the students from the urban areas. The new law deprives universities of their independence autonomy and provides for bureaucrats to be appointed on eight out of ten seats of the syndicate, the petitioner had argued.

Water shortage

Meanwhile, the same bench sought a report from Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) Managing Director (MD) and Sindh government on a plea against the scarcity of water in Gadap and Hawkes Bay areas.



The bench was hearing a plea filed by residents of the areas against Sindh government and KWSB about acute shortage of water in their localities. The citizens told the court that Sindh government had made promise of providing potable water but later such notification was withdrawn. The citizens told the court that daily life has become very difficult due to the acute water shortage in different areas. They pleaded the court to instruct the Sindh government to ensure provision of potable water in their areas.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 20^th, 2019.