SUKKUR: The Sukkur bench of the Sindh High Court on Thursday ordered that names of landlords, Khans and waderas given to government institutions, gates and other public places, which had been constructed with public money in Sindh be removed within three weeks.

The double bench comprising Justices Salahuddin Panhwar and Abdul Mubeen Lakho passed the order on a petition filed against changing name of the Gambat Institute of Medical Science (GIMS) into Pir Abdul Qadir Shah Jilani and other politicians’ names given to local government institutes, public places and gates.

Justice Panhwar reprimanded the respondent officials for failing to comply with earlier court orders for removing names of Sardar, Khans and waderas from government institutes and public places.

As per policy, advertisements be placed first in order to seek public opinion before naming any institute or public place after a person, he remarked and admonished the officials on dividing Sindh among Sardars and waderas.

The justice asked the officials to inform the court in ‘yes’ or ‘no’ as to where had they taken the brush and removed names from such buildings, roads or gates. “You have not complied with the court order and have breached the law,” he said, adding that wherever law had been violated, the names should be removed from there.

He asked special secretary of local government: “You live in Sindh and are appointed in Sindh, but you do not know Sindhi. Then how will you guide the court. The court should be informed which gates have been named after whose names?”.

The regional director of local government, Ali Anwar Ruk, informed the bench that majority of the gates had been built by influential persons from their own pockets.

Whereupon the justice quipped: “Those who cannot give in alms even Rs5 to a beggar, rather devour rain-hit person’s tents and 10 kg floor bags, are spending millions of rupees on construction of gates.”

He asked the director to come into the witness box and repeat what he had said on oath “if he is found telling lies, the court will fire him and send him to jail,” he warned.

The justice said that they accepted that it was a bit difficult to live in Ghotki district and asked the officials to speak the truth because it would reduce their life a bit if they were destined to live longer. Anwar Ruk sought the court’s pardon.

Justice Panhwar said that GIMS should have been named after Nisar Siddiqui for his great contribution to education. Gates had been divided among Pirs and Khans, he said.

He ordered the officials to act upon local government law and not to become kamdars. They, however, not ordered to remove names of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, he cleared.

He said that gates should not be bulldozed rather they should be decorated and beatified further and the names of sardars, Khans, waderas written on them should be removed.

The bench ordered chief secretary and secretary of local government to remove the names within three weeks and directed the chief secretary to constitute a committee to probe which educational institution had been rightly named and submit a report to the court on Feb 23.

According advocate Nisar Bhambhro, if the officials failed to comply with the order, the court would take action against chief secretary, secretary of local government and other officials concerned on contempt of court charges.

Published in Dawn, February 10th, 2023