ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan’s Karachi registry on Wednesday ordered Sindh chief minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab to appear in the court in person at 11:00 AM tomorrow in the case of rehabilitation of the affectees of Gujjar and Orangi nullahs.

Issuing a written verdict in the contempt of court petition filed against the chief minister and others, the apex court also ordered Sindh chief secretary, commissioner Karachi, and advocate general Sindh to appear tomorrow.

In its decision, the court said that despite the fact that it had given two years to the Sindh government for the rehabilitation of the affected people and even directed it to submit a progress report every month, still the provincial government had failed to submit even a single report.

A two-member special bench of the apex court, comprising Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Syed Hassan Azhar Rizvi, heard the case.

Counsel for the petitioner Advocate Faisal Siddiqui said that last time the court had given order in the case was on October 25, 2021.

Justice Mazhar asked Advocate Siddiqui as to why he had filed contempt of court plea in the court now. The lawyer replied that two years had passed, but not a single affected person had been allotted a house.

Justice Mazhar remarked that the SC had given two years for the rehabilitation of these people. “But you have approached the court two to three months before the expiry of the time period,” he added.

The petitioner’s lawyer replied that the reason for moving the court before time was that the Sindh government had fulfilled not a single promise.

Advocate Siddiqui further told the court that the provincial government was supposed to hand four cheques to the affected people during two years. “However, only two cheques have been given to them so far,” he regretted.