KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Wednesday directed the provincial government to file comments on a petition of Pakistan Muslims League-Nawaz lawmakers belonging to the Shirazi family of Thatta against alleged discrimination in release of funds for development schemes.

Headed by Justice Munib Akhtar, a two-judge bench of the high court also issued notice to the provincial government law officer and put off the hearing to a date to be later pronounced by the court’s office.

The petition was filed by MNA Syed Ayaz Ali Shah Shirazi (NA-238), MPA Syed Aijaz Ali Shah Shirazi (PS-84), MPA Syed Ameer Hyder Shah Shirazi (PS-85), and MPA Syed Shah Hussain Shah Shirazi (PS-86), who impleaded the chief secretary, planning and development secretary, principal secretary to the chief minister and others as respondents.

The petitioners, represented by Advocate M.B. Khattian, submitted that the chief minister had allocated Rs40 million for the financial year 2013-14 for development schemes to be executed through lawmakers across the province.

They said the provincial authorities had sent a letter on Nov 18, 2013, asking them to submit their proposals for development schemes in their respective constituencies.

The petitioners said they duly furnished their respective proposals but the same were not considered on ground of political rivalry, he added.

They said the ruling party in the province had adopted a biased attitude towards the lawmakers of Thatta and their supporters as several false and fabricated cases were registered against them to victimise them. The lawmakers belonging to the ruling party had been awarded funds, whereas they were discriminated, the petitioners said.

They added that Thatta immediately needed funds for its infrastructural development, yet the district was deprived of the funds.

The Shirazis asked the court to direct the authorities to submit before it the complete record of uplift funds awarded to the lawmakers in the past three to four years. They requested the court to also order the provincial government to release funds for developmental schemes to be executed in Thatta.

Former IGP’s pre-arrest bail extended

The Sindh High Court extended till Nov 3 the pre-arrest bail granted to former provincial police chief, Ghulam Haider Jamali, in two inquiries being conducted by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) into alleged embezzlement and misappropriation of police funds.

A division bench, headed by Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi, put off the hearing till Nov 3 giving the NAB more time to investigate the matter and submit a written reply by the next hearing.

The former police chief submitted that he was cooperating with the investigating agency, but was apprehensive about his arrest at the hands of the NAB. He asked the court to restrain the NAB authorities from arresting him.

The counsel for the NAB sought time to submit the report while informing the judges that the matter was still under investigation.

Ex-IGP Jamali, who was earlier granted pre-arrest bail in the sum of Rs1 million by the SHC, is being investigated in two NAB inquiries for alleged misappropriation of the police funds.

While taking notice of the alleged corruption in police, particularly in the investigation funds, the Supreme Court had referred the matter to the NAB for further investigation.

Published in Dawn, October 20th, 2016