Karachi, September 10: A confrontation between judiciary and the present government seems likely after Sindh High Court (SHC) on Wednesday issued notices to 17 federal ministers, state ministers and advisers in a constitutional petition filed against federal ministries set up on provincial subjects.
The petition was filed by Sindh Dost Rabta Council Secretary Muneer Ahmed and three other individuals through Barrister Zameer Ghumro and accepted by the court.
Ghumro, in the petition, says that under Article-142 of the constitution, Local Government, Food and Agriculture, Livestock, Housing, Courts, Minority Affairs and Health and Youth Affairs were provincial subjects.
“The centre illegally established these ministries and appointed respective ministers and state ministers, which is in conflict as well as against the spirit of the constitution of Pakistan,” prayed the petitioners in their suit.
In its order, the court directed the issuance of notices to federal ministers Abdur Razzaq Thaheem, Nazar Mohammed Gondal, Humayoun Kurd, Rehmatullah Kakar, Aftab Hussain Shah Jilani, Shahbaz Bhatti, Shahid Hussain Bhutto, Ijaz Jakhrani, Mohammed Afzal Sandhu, Masud Abbas, Mohammed Tariq Anees and Fazal Shah Jilani, to appear before the court. Most of these ministers are belong to the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and some from other parties have been made ministers, state ministers and advisers because the PPP does not have even simple majority in the National Assembly.
–Agencies