Sindh High Court (SHC) on Wednesday directed provincial government to pay the arrears of allowances to the members of Sindh Assembly within two months.
A division bench of SHC headed by Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar ordered payment of arrears in October and November by making fifty percent payment in each month while hearing the petition moved by members of Sindh Assembly belonging to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) and Pakistan Muslim League-Functional seeking payment of basic pay and allowances under Sindh Laws (Amendment) Act 2017.
Bench ordered Chief Secretary Sindh to ensure payment of fifty percent payment of arrears by October 15, 2019. Additional Advocate General Sindh told the court that delay was caused in release of funds for payment of arrears due to transfers of relevant secretaries.
Additional Secretary Finance told the court that the amount of arrears stood at Rs.664 million. Court questioned over delay in the payment of arrears when the allocations were made in the provincial budget on this account. Finance Department told the court that province is facing the shortage of fund as Sindh Government has to receive outstanding dues of Rs.86 billion from the federal government.
Khurram Sher Zaman, Dr. Seema Zia, Syed Sardar Ahmed, Nusrat Sehar Abbasi and others, members of previous Sindh Assembly submitted that Sindh Laws (Amendment) Act was passed in 2017and a provincial assembly secretary submitted a summary to Sindh Chief Minister in September 2017 seeking additional funds for meeting the shortfall on funds for payment of salaries and allowances to the members of Sindh Assembly.
Petitioners submitted that basic salaries and allowances of MPAs were increased, which resulted in accumulation of arrears since 2017, for which the petitioners pleaded the court to issue orders for their payment. Petitioners stated that members of sitting assembly are receiving the increased amount on account of salaries and allowances whereas the members of previous assembly have yet to receive the arrears.
Meanwhile, a division bench of SHC ordered three sugar mills to pay their dues to sugarcane growers by September 24, 2019. Murid Ali Shah Advocate, counsel for Sugarcane growers submitted that SHC had ordered sugar mills to pay the sugarcane growers their dues at Rs.160 per maund for their crop in 2017 and 2018. Out of eleven sugar mills, eight complied with the court orders, whereas three sugar mills had failed to act upon the court orders. On the plea of sugarcane growers, SHC bench ordered three sugar mills to dues to sugarcane growers for the said years.
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