Court seeks report on govt-sponsored ads

Directs NAB to complete inquiry against Sharjeel Memon by Feb 23

The Sindh High Court (SHC) issued on Tuesday notices to the Sindh information department secretary and other parties over a plea challenging the use of pictures of leaders of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in advertisements published for the promotion of the party and using government funds to pay for the ads.

An SHC bench headed by Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar heard a petition contesting the promotion of political leadership in government-sponsored advertisements during elections.

The petitioner's counsel, Advocate Mureed Ali Shah, maintained at the hearing that pictures of political leadership were being published in government-sponsored advertisements despite restrictive orders by the Supreme Court. He claimed that it was against the law to publish the pictures of political leadership in government-sponsored advertisements.

Advocate Shah moved the court to order the reimbursement of government funds spent on political advertisements.

However, public prosecutor Jawad Dero argued that elections were over and hence, now the petition was ineffective.

At this, Justice Mazhar sought details of the current policy on the issue.

Following that, the court adjourned the hearing and issued notices to the Sindh information secretary and other authorities, seeking a report pertaining to the matter.

Illegal appointments in information dept

Separately, a bench headed by Justice Muhammad Iqbal Kalhoro directed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to complete the inquiry against former provincial minister and PPP leader Sharjeel Memon, who is accused of making illegal appointments in the Sindh information department.

Read Dept under scrutiny in Sindh Assembly

Hearing a plea filed by Memon, the court asked the NAB about the inquiry's progress.

The NAB prosecutor told the court that a new inquiry against Memon was in progress and more time was needed to complete it.

The court gave the NAB until February 23 to complete the inquiry and sought a progress report from the NAB at the next hearing. It also extended the bail plea of Memon till the next hearing

Illegal construction

At another hearing, the court ordered the relevant authorities to halt the illegal construction of a four-storey building on land alloted for government quarters in P&T Colony.

The high court was hearing a petition challenging the demolition of government quarters and constructing a four-storey building in its place.

"Under what law the four-storey building is being constructed on the land for government quarters?" the court enquired. Government quarters are only government property, it remarked.

The petitioner claimed that illegal structures were being built in P&T Colony on a large-scale.

The Supreme Court had also expressed concern over the encroachments, he said, adding that the construction of a four-story building on the land of government quarters should be stopped.

The court directed the relevant authorities to halt construction on the four-storey building.

Bail granted

Separately, the court granted bail to a man alleged of raising funds for a banned outfit.

The court directed the accused, Noman Asghar, to submit Rs100,000 as surety against the bail.

According to the police, Asghar had been caught red-handed while collecting the funds for a banned outfit. The trial court had rejected his bail plea earlier.

WITH ADDITIONAL INPUT FROM PPI

Published in The Express Tribune, January 20^th, 2021.