Latest news with #OwaisQadirShah
Express Tribune
21-06-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
SHC orders opening of Governor House for acting governor
The Constitutional Bench of the Sindh High Court (SHC), comprising Justice K.K. Agha and Justice Adnan-ul-Karim Memon, heard Acting Governor Owais Qadir Shah's petition challenging the locking of Governor House offices. The court ordered the immediate reopening of these offices and directed the principal secretary to submit a compliance report by June 23. During the urgent hearing, the bench granted acting governor immediate access to the Sindh Governor's official residence. The court specifically ordered the unlocking of all offices (excluding private residential quarters) and restrained the principal secretary from obstructing the acting governor's access. The court also directed that a copy of the judicial order be transmitted to the President of Pakistan and the Principal Secretary of the Governor's House, Sindh. In the petition, it was averred that since assuming charge, the Acting Governor, Owais Qadir Shah, has been denied entry to the Governor's House for official duties which is a violation of Article 104 of the Constitution. Governor Kamran Tessori has been abroad since June 2. Acting Governor of Sindh, Owais Qadir Shah, informed the court that a meeting on law and order in the was scheduled for today, specifically to discuss matters related to Muharram. The home minister, secretary, IG Sindh, and other officials reached for the meeting. However, the principal secretary stated that the governor had taken the office keys with him. Owais Qadir Shah stated that this was an act of considering the Governor's House as their personal lounge. He cited the Constitution, which clearly states that in the absence of the governor, the acting governor can perform duties. Owais Qadir Shah said, he would write to the chief minister, highlighting that this was a mockery of the Constitution.
Business Recorder
21-06-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
Sindh Assembly: heated debate on budget continues
KARACHI: Heated and emotional speeches marked the fifth consecutive day of budget deliberations in the Sindh Assembly on Friday, as treasury slammed the federal government for slashing Sindh's share in the National Finance Commission (NFC) by Rs100 billion. Meanwhile, opposition lawmakers raised alarm bells over potential misuse of budget funds and deteriorating living standards for the poor. The session, presided over by Deputy Speaker Anthony Naveed, began with sparse attendance of only seven members but the number increased as proceedings progressed. Several provincial ministers joined the debate, presenting departmental reviews and outlining upcoming development initiatives for fiscal year 2025–26. Speaking from the treasury benches, senior PPP leader Nisar Ahmed Khuhro revealed that acting Governor Owais Qadir Shah had been barred from entering the Governor's House. 'The Governor House is being treated like private property,' Khuhro lamented, labelling Governor Kamran Tessori an 'encroacher.' He demanded a formal resolution in the Assembly to uphold constitutional protocol and expressed strong disapproval of the term 'Muhajir' being spray-painted on the building during Tessori's tenure. Khuhro further accused the federal government of undermining Sindh by cutting Rs100 billion from its NFC share. MQM lawmaker Abdul Waseem, meanwhile, delivered a scathing critique of the budget, asserting that 50 percent of the proposed funds would fall prey to corruption and fail to improve the lives of ordinary citizens. Though he credited Transport Minister Sharjeel Memon for introducing new buses to Karachi, he said they were inadequate. 'Karachi needs at least 1,000 new buses.' A major portion of Friday's proceedings centred on the treatment of acting Governor Owais Qadir Shah. Former Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani condemned the incident, calling it an 'insult to the Speaker's chair,' and demanded an official apology from the Governor for violating constitutional norms. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Zia Ul Hassan Lanjar echoed the concerns, revealing that Shah had been unable to perform his duties for the past 22 days because Governor Tessori had locked the offices and taken the keys with him to Saudi Arabia. Lanjar read out a court order instructing the reopening of the offices and criticized the irony that the 'bell of justice' at the Governor House could not ring for the acting governor himself. 'If this continues, dignity will vanish from all offices, and only hollow titles like 'Governor' will remain,' Lanjar warned. He urged the Chief Minister to intervene and hold those responsible accountable. In response, MQM's Taha Ahmed Khan attributed the issue to 'miscommunication and misunderstanding,' cautioning against politicising the matter. 'We condemn how this issue is being used against Governor Kamran Tessori,' he said, reaffirming MQM's respect for the office and their pride in their identity as descendants of Pakistan's founders. Provincial Minister Ali Hassan Zardari highlighted that 48 new development schemes had been included in the budget, while Industries Minister Jam Ikram Dharejo declared that Rs5 billion had been earmarked for road development in Karachi's SITE industrial area. He also announced the launch of Phase 3 of the Nooriabad Industrial Zone and asserted Sindh's constitutional right to gas resources extracted from its soil. Rehabilitation Minister Makhdoom Mehboob Zaman reported a 12 percent increase in Sindh's revenue collection and emphasised that no other party had served Karachi as diligently as the PPP. He noted that 64 out of 164 RO plants were currently functional in Matiari and mobile service units were active across all districts. Jamaat-e-Islami MPA Muhammad Farooq issued a dire warning about the escalating water crisis in Karachi, stating, 'The world's first water war may begin here.' He criticized the Sindh government for not prioritizing the K-IV water project in its federal demands and pointed out the limited Rs123billion allocation for local governments. Farooq also urged the government to invest in desalination technology and questioned the effectiveness of the so-called 'Shehbaz Speed,' which, he argued, had brought no tangible benefit to Karachi. PPP MPA Imdad Pitafi called for maturity on both sides of the aisle, describing the opposition as a necessary 'mirror' for any government but warning against cultivating distrust. 'There will be no Pakistan without unity,' he said. 'We must think collectively for Sindh and Pakistan.' Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Express Tribune
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
'Outsiders' appointed to top prison posts following jailbreak
The Sindh government has started appointing officers from non-prison service groups to senior positions within the provincial prison system. This move comes in the wake of a major jailbreak at Malir District Jail, where more than 200 inmates escaped earlier this week. On Thursday, the Sindh government appointed Fida Hussain Mastoi, a Federal Police Service officer and current DIG of Traffic Police Hyderabad, as IG Prisons. This marks the first time an officer from outside the Prisons Service Group has been appointed to this role. The appointment follows the promulgation of an ordinance amending the Sindh Prisons and Correctional Services Act, 2019. Issued by Acting Governor Owais Qadir Shah, the ordinance allows officers from other federal and provincial services, including the Pakistan Administrative Service, Police Service of Pakistan, and the Provincial Management Service, to be appointed to senior prison posts such as IG Prisons, DIG Prisons, and Senior Superintendent of Jails. The revised law also grants the Provincial Minister for Prisons, Haji Ali Hassan Zardari, the authority to directly appoint Senior Superintendents of Jails in major facilities, including Karachi Central Jail. Previously, such appointments were made on the recommendation of the Home Department, which forwarded candidate summaries to the Chief Secretary for approval. Until now, only officers from the Prisons Service Group were eligible for top positions in the Sindh Prisons Department, in accordance with the 2019 Act. With this ordinance, that restriction has been lifted, and officers from other backgrounds, including Sindh Police, are now eligible for prison leadership roles. The timing of the ordinance has raised eyebrows, as it was issued just hours after the high-profile security breach at Malir Jail. In response to the escape, the Sindh government has dismissed IG Prisons Qazi Nazir and suspended DIG Prisons Muhammad Hassan Sehto, along with the superintendent, deputy superintendent, and several jail officials. Inmates sent on judicial remand An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Thursday remanded 115 inmates to judicial custody in connection with the recent jailbreak at District Jail Malir. The prisoners were brought under heavy security to the Anti-Terrorism Complex located within Karachi Central Jail. During the hearing, the court strongly criticised police for submitting an incomplete remand report.
