KARACHI: Scores of public servants have allegedly taken vehicles from Nazarat for official use, Dawn learnt on Monday.

This had been done in violation of an order of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, sources said.

Unclaimed vehicles or those which have been impounded due to a lack of registration documents are given to officers on superdari (custodianship) from Nazarat, commonly known as the central vehicle pool.

Efforts to take back these vehicles had been increased after the apex court took cognizance of the issue and sought a report of compliance with its order from the authorities concerned, added the sources.

Most of the officers who were allegedly using these vehicles belonged to the Karachi administration, revealed an official correspondence between the commissioner of Karachi and the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee chief.

“Ninety-five vehicles have been handed over to the government functionaries for official use on ‘superdari,’” said an official letter No (CPLC/CRC/786/Gen.172-13-D/3736) written by Ahmed Chinoy, the CPLC chief, to Karachi commissioner Shoaib Siddiqi recently.

“The practice of releasing vehicles on superdari is clear violation of the orders passed by the Supreme Court of Pakistan in C.P. No. 169 of 2009,” according to the contents of the letter.

The sources said that the CPLC from time to time had raised the issue of releasing vehicles on superdari at various forums with officials, but this ‘illegal practice’ was still continuing.

They said that the then additional chief secretary of the Sindh home department through his letter dated January 3, 2013 had also expressed his extreme displeasure over the practice.

The sources said that the present incumbent and the former commissioner of Karachi had also taken serious notice of such state of affairs and issued directions to government functionaries concerned.

Some of the vehicles were deposited with Nazarat following these actions, but lately the vehicles had once again been released to the officers on superdari, the sources added.

The CPLC asked the commissioner of Karachi to issue directions to all officers concerned to return the vehicles handed over to them on superdari at the earliest.

The letter pointed out that the human rights cell of the Supreme Court of Pakistan had already called a report on compliance with its order.

The CPLC chief warned that continued violation of the apex court’s order might lead to contempt proceedings.

Published in Dawn, November 11th, 2014