‘Favouritism’: SHC stops govt from releasing development funds to PPP legislators

Opposition members had accused govt of discrimination.

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) restrained the provincial government on Friday from releasing development funds worth Rs240 million to legislators of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) since the amount was originally sanctioned to members of the opposition.

Headed by Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi, the bench also called comments from the authorities.



Sindh Assembly opposition leader, Shaharyar Khan Mahar, had gone to court along with five other legislators belonging to the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F). They had complained that the government was discriminating in releasing development funds for schemes that are in the constituencies of opposition members,

The petitioners alleged that they had proposed to the planning and development department several schemes in order to avail the Rs40 million set aside for each lawmaker to carry out works in their respective constituencies. The authorities approved the schemes submitted by the lawmakers belonging to the ruling party in the province and subsequently provided funds to execute them. But, the petitioners have yet to be issued such funds. They claimed the discrimination is aimed at delaying these development schemes so they are likely to lose the next elections.

On Friday, lawyer Haider Waheed informed the judges that the government has accorded administrative approval for the release of development funds, which actually belong to the six PML-F MPAs, to the senators belonging to the ruling PPP. He also produced copies of the administrative approval.

Waheed pointed out that on May 29, the court had barred the authorities from spending the amount of development funds earmarked for some of the petitioners on any other scheme. He requested that similar directives may be issued in respect of these six petitioners.

Allowing the request, the bench ordered the respondents from spending the amount of funds belonging to the six PML-F legislators till September 8.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 23^rd, 2014.