JI seeks contempt proceedings against govt over failure to release funds to LGs

The Jamaat-e-Islami on Thursday filed a contempt of court application in the Sindh High Court against the non-release of development funds and non-transfer of administrative powers to the elected members of the town municipal corporations and union councils despite court orders.

Filing the application before the SHC, Karachi JI emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman submitted that the high court had disposed of a petition with regard to transfers of administrative and financial powers to the local bodies representatives and directed the provincial government to ensure release of funds to the TMCs and UCs.

He submitted that officers of the Sindh government were creating hurdles in the working of the elected town representatives by delaying the appointments of town officers and deployment of employees to town administrations.

The applicant said union committees’ employees had been unable to receive salaries for the last three months, and that that had affected the working of the UCs. He said that one of the most important functions of the union committees was issuance of birth, death, marriage and divorce certificates, but still these certificates were being issued by the staff of defunct union committees because alleged contemnors did not send any instruction to the National Database Registration Authority regarding legally prevailing union committees and the ID of defunct UCs was being used for issuance of these certificates.

He submitted that staff of the water and sewerage board and solid waste management board were still deputed as per the defunct local government system and was not transferred to the TMCs and UCs.

The applicant submitted that UCs are totally dysfunctional and unable to perform their duties as per the Constitution of Pakistan and local bodies laws due to alleged violations of the court orders by the alleged contemnors. He said that despite clear directions of the court the alleged contemnors and their subordinate staff were not complying with the court orders and continuously violating them. The court was requested to direct the alleged contemnors to comply with the directions of the court and initiate contempt of court proceedings for disobeying the court directives. The SHC on November 6 had directed the Sindh government that there be no delay or obstruction in transferring the authority and powers to the elected members of the local government as well as release of funds to the TMCs and UCs.