SHC bars govt from purchase of 138 SUVs

The Sindh High Court has suspended the implementation of the notification for the purchase of 138 double-cabin vehicles for assistant commissioners and has called for responses from the parties.

A high court bench comprising Justice Salahuddin Panhwar and Justice Amjad Ali Sahito, heard a petition against the Sindh government's decision to purchase 138 double-cabins for assistant commissioners.

The petition was filed by Jamaat-e-Islami Sindh Assembly member Mohammad Farooq and others.

The petitioners' lawyer, Usman Farooq Advocate, argued that the Sindh government is buying 138 large vehicles for the bureaucracy, at an estimated cost of approximately Rs2 billion rupees with public taxes.

The petition further said that 'purchasing double-cabin vehicles for the bureaucracy does not benefit the public. This is an abuse of power and a misuse of public funds. A notification for this was issued on September 3.

The petitioners requested the court to declare the September 3 notification regarding vehicle purchases illegal and void. They also asked for the suspension of the notification's implementation until the court's decision. The JI leader in his petition quoted the State Bank of Pakistan report as saying that the inflation in the country crossed 28 percent, while the people have been suffering from lack of health, education and other basic necessities.

In this backdrop, the hefty amount should be channelized to development work, instead of purchase of luxury vehicles for bureaucracy as it would not serve the masses, he added.

Later in the day, Muhammad Farooq while talking to the media, said that people in Karachi and other parts of Sindh have been facing immense problems, including broken roads, lack of health and education facilities, whereas the Pakistan People Party government in Sindh is mulling to purchase expensive vehicles.

At one hand, the government was asking the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and other monetary institutions for loans in order to meet basic necessities, he said, adding that on the other it was burning the much needed funds on lavish purchases.

He said that the JI strongly condemns the decision and would not allow the government to spend billions of rupees in such a manner.

He recalled that the JI had demanded during it's sit-in that all the bureaucracy and the chief ministers not be allowed to use more than 1300CC vehicles.

Earlier, the Sindh government had clarified that the vehicle purchase was approved by Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and was part of the existing budget. The Chief Minister's office stated that these vehicles, the first purchase for assistant commissioners in 12 years, are necessary for effective official duties, particularly in rural areas.

Despite the financial constraints and decision to forgo new development projects for the fiscal year 2024-25, the government maintains that this procurement is vital for administrative efficiency.

Additionally, plans to purchase high-cost vehicles for deputy commissioners are also underway.