Daily Times

The Supreme Court on Wednesday expressed reservations over a letter by secretary to the prime minister regarding allocation of development funds to members of National Assembly and provincial assemblies and directed him to file categorical statement signed by the prime minister.

A five-member bench headed by Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed heard the case regarding allocation of development funds to members of assemblies. The response of all the provinces except Sindh was also presented in the apex court.

Justice Qazi Faez Isa questioned that the letter does not answer the court’s questions. “It seems that the prime minister did not read the court decision properly. The prime minister may have tried to keep the door open for funding,” he added.

Attorney General for Pakistan Khalid Jawed Khan presented in the court the letter of the secretary to the prime minister. He said that the implementation of the development schemes of the members of the assembly is subject to the constitution. “The prime minister knows that government funds cannot be misused. No member of the assembly will be paid,” he added.

During the hearing, the chief justice inquired about non-submission of reply by the Sindh government. The Sindh advocate general said that the Sindh government did not provide funds to any member of the assembly. The chief justice said that the Sindh government should have submitted its reply.

During the hearing, an interesting dialogue took place between Justice Qazi Faez Isa and the attorney general. Justice Qazi Faez inquired as to who drafted the letter of the secretary to the prime minister, to which the attorney general said that it is a matter between the lawyer and the client.

Justice Qazi Faez remarked that the English language of the letter is not correct. “The letter does not answer court’s questions … it seems that the prime minister did not read the court decision properly,” he said, adding that the prime minister should either stick to his word or say that he made a mistake. “Why is the prime minister hiding behind his secretary? News spread through all media and the prime minister is silent,” he said. The attorney general responded that if prime minister starts denying every news then no one else will be able to do anything.

The court directed the Sindh government to submit its reply and also sought a clear reply from the finance secretary. The case will be heard again on Thursday (today).