HYDERABAD: The Sindh High Court has warned of stopping payment of salaries to the top management of Sehwan Development Authority (SDA), Jamshoro district's development arm, if the ordinary staff is not paid their salaries and pension.

The Hyderabad circuit bench here Thursday gave one and a half month to the SDA to pay all the unpaid salaries to the staff.

"Failing which salaries of the senior staff and executives of the SDA shall be stopped till all the said dues (of the ordinary staff) are settled," order the court.

The bench noted that there was no justification for the SDA to withhold the salaries especially when the top officials continued to receive their own salaries on a regular basis.

"... it is not disputed that the petitioners are employees of the SDA and the liability of their outstanding salaries is also admitted there is no justification for the SDA to withhold their salaries," the order reads.

The court warned the SDA's top officials that if all the employees were not paid their salaries along with all the previous dues by February 27, the executives would also stop getting their salaries on the court's order.

Some 38 employees filed the petition in the SHC over the issue.According to them, around 300 staff had not received their salaries of 20 to 24 months.

The SHC ordered the Sindh Chief Secretary and Sindh Secretary Finance to provide funds to the SDA for the payment of the salaries.