F.P. Report
LAHORE: The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Saturday directed chief secretary Pu-njab to submit a comprehensive report on affixing Shehbaz Sharif’s pictures to laptops and health cards issued by the Punjab government.
The Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar passed these directions, while hearing the suo motu case of misuse of the public money to advertise the government development projects at Supreme Court’s Lahore Registry.
At the outset of court proceedings, the CJP inquired as why the provincial government has been spending enormous funds for promoting Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
The chief secretary Punjab responded that it was solely the efforts of Punjab chief minister to facilitate the students and public after launching the laptop and health card schemes.
The chief justice then remarked the government must inform the court about total amount the schemes had cost to the government. Justice Nisar emphasized that the political parties must not use the funds allocated for public for their promotion campaign.
“Why is the Punjab CM’s picture being printed on laptops purchased with the taxpayers’ money,” commented Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar during the hearing.
Justice Nisar expressed his annoyance at political parties utilising public money for their publicity campaigns.
“Why do the pictures of Punjab CM surface everywhere…even date sheets have Shehbaz’s pictures printed on them,” he said.
“Government officials are using the money of a nation burdened by debts for self-publicity.”
He remarked if Shahbaz Sharif is too much fond of getting his picture printed then he should appear before us and clarify his position.
He should remember we can order NAB to hold inquiry into advertisement matters of Punjab government.
The CJP warned the government officials to mend their ways while they still have time.
“The court is deeply concerned and apprehensive about the increasing national debt,” said Justice Nisar.
This must be done on their own resources, the CJP underlined. He noted that the virtuous people serve people in secret.
The hearing was adjourned after the Chief Justice of Pakistan ordered the province’s chief secretary to submit a detailed report on the matter, including the total expense incurred on the laptop scheme.
In another suo motu case pertaining to the disposal of polluted water into Ravi River, the Punjab government came in for a lot of flak from the Supreme Court over non-provision of potable water and dumping of untreated sewage into rivers.
A three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar, reproached the provincial authorities for failing to ensure supply of clean drinking water to the people of the province.
The people of the provincial capital were being supplied toxic and contaminated water, the chief justice observed, asking what the government had been doing over the last ten years.
If the provincial authorities could dole out massive amount of taxpayers’ money to media houses to run advertisement of its performance, they should also get what they had failed to do advertised, he said.
It was a matter of people’s life and death, he noted.
The Punjab government invested the lion’s share of financial budget on Orange Line Metro Train, why it didn’t pay any heed to these issues as well, CJP Nisar asked.
He said the government could launch projects such as Orange Line Metro Train and construction motorways, but it should also shift its focus on improving healthcare. It seemed that health did not figure on the priority list of the provincial government, he added.
“Why shouldn’t I visit hospitals? Someone has to spare a thought for such a condition of people. How people are moaning,” Chief Justice of Pakistan Nisar said.
He lamented that those who are supposed to deliver had failed to do so, adding that someone else had to step in.
This was the state of affairs and good governance in Pakistan, he observed.
The chief justice ordered the submission of PC-I of clean water project in the court by March 23.
The hearing has been adjourned till March 31 and the Chief Justice of Pakistan has demanded all data to be ‘on record’.
