The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Friday dismissed two petitions challenging the Sindh government’s plan to procure 138 double-cabin vehicles for assistant commissioners, clearing the way for the purchase. A two-judge constitutional bench headed by Justice Agha Faisal ruled that the petitioners failed to establish a legal basis to block the procurement.
The court noted that interim relief had been granted on the first hearing, which had effectively halted the vehicle replacement process for months. Jamaat-e-Islami MPA Mohammad Farooq, one of the petitioners, had argued that the purchase represented a misuse of public funds amid budget deficits across the province.
However, during Friday’s proceedings, the petitioners’ counsel failed to identify any specific law, rule, or policy violated by the government’s move. The bench said that no relevant documentation beyond a press clipping and an excerpt from an unidentified publication was presented in support of the petition.
When questioned on the petitioners’ locus standi, the lawyer said they were Pakistani citizens and one an elected MPA. But the court found no grounds to qualify them as “aggrieved persons” under Article 199 of the Constitution, a requirement for invoking writ jurisdiction.
Advocate General Sindh Jawad Dero argued that the vehicle procurement was part of an approved scheme under the Finance Act, which had already been passed. He said the last such purchase occurred over a decade ago, and existing vehicles had exceeded their functional lifespan, having logged well over 800,000 kilometres.
The bench emphasized that public interest litigation must be based on genuine public concerns and not aimed at media attention or political scoring. It said the petitions did not meet the threshold for public interest litigation and appeared to be “publicity motivated.”
Citing settled legal principles, the SHC concluded that the petitioners failed to make a case for judicial intervention and dismissed the petitions accordingly. Speaking to reporters after the verdict, MPA Farooq said he intended to appeal the decision before the Supreme Court.
