ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan postponed the hearing on personal promotion in public development projects for two weeks.
Headed by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, the three-member bench conducted the session. All four provincial governments, along with the federal government, pledged to refrain from promoting personal interests in public projects and vowed to abide by the Supreme Court’s directive, issued in 2023, against advertising personal endeavors on development initiatives.
During the proceedings, Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa sought affidavits from the provincial governments and expressed satisfaction over their collective stance against personal promotion. The court inquired about the number of law officers in Sindh, where it was revealed that there are 80 law officers.
Chief Justice Isa remarked on the disproportion, noting the absence of a permanent law officer in Islamabad compared to Sindh’s substantial count.
Further, the court learned that Balochistan has 18 law officers, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has four, and Punjab has 86. Chief Justice Isa questioned the rationale behind Sindh’s figure, especially considering its size relative to Punjab. Responding to this, the Punjab government’s lawyer disclosed plans to reduce the number of law officers from 86 to 66.
Expressing concern, Chief Justice Isa highlighted the significant financial burden incurred by Sindh due to the high number of law officers, each receiving half a million rupees monthly. He criticized the inefficiency of these officers in providing adequate support during court proceedings, citing issues with video call appearances. Emphasizing the need for a strengthened democracy, he questioned the justification for personal promotion in projects funded by public money, highlighting the consensus among political adversaries against such practices.
