The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Tuesday issued notices to Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and others into the petitions against Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP)'s leaders seeking their disqualification for next general elections for having Aqama (work permit) abroad after declaring them maintainable.
Separate petitions were filed against PPP's central leader Faryal Talpur, former provincial ministers of PPP Manzoor Wassan, Nasir Hussain Shah, Sohail Anwar Sial as well as its member of Sindh Assembly Sardar Nawab Ghaibi Chandio for possessing Aqamas as well as not declaring them in their nomination papers, submitted in the last general elections in 2013.
A division bench headed by Justice Mohammad Ali Mazhar issued the notices to Election Commission of Pakistan, Attorney General, Advocate General and others after declaring the petitions maintainable. The court directed that parties concerned should take short time to conclude their arguments into the petition so that the court would be able to give its verdict on these petitions before the elections.
Seeking the replies from all the parties concerned, the court directed that they should come up with arguments in the light of judgment of Supreme Court in Khawja Asif case. It adjourned the hearing till June 12. Meanwhile, The Sindh High Court on Tuesday sought a detailed reply from Sindh Government into the petition seeking division of Sindh in seven administrative units with Karachi being autonomous states when a division bench resumed the hearing on the petition.
The division bench headed by Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi had issued the federal and provincial law officers on the petition despite the pray from Sindh Government over the maintainability of petition. During the proceedings, Additional Advocate General Sindh Shabir Shah contended that the petition didn't come to the criteria of being maintainable in the court and should not be heard. He argued that new federating units can't be carved out without the consent of the respective province even if parliament passed any law or resolution by two third majority. The petition should be dismissed, Shah submitted.
The petitioner submitted that division of the province from administrative point of view is necessary and would be in the best interest of province. Several foreign countries had no more than a population of five million of their provinces, which was necessary for the administration and securing rights of citizens. He prayed the Sindh should be divided into seven autonomous administrative units i.e. Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Sukkur, Larkana, Dadu and Jacobabad with each state responsible to generate its own revenue for its expenses and management system.
The petitioner contended that every state of Sindh was rich and capable of maintaining its expenses and could generate more revenue than its requirements. The petition sought Karachi's status as independent administrative unit along with the seven administrative units. The petition submitted that the conditions prevailing in Sindh can't be changed with the present administrative shape of the province.
The bench asked the petitioner to tell the court that under which law it can order the creation of new administrative units in Sindh. "You should argue by confining yourself to the constitutional limits," the court stated when the petitioner stated that provincial and federal governments have failed to deliver. The court sought the detailed reply from Sindh Government to furnish with the court when it would resume the hearing the case next month.
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