KARACHI: The Sindh High Court sought on Thursday details of development budget allocated for Larkana since 2008 from provincial authorities on a petition seeking an inquiry against a Pakistan Peoples Party MNA and others over alleged misappropriation of development funds for the city believed to be a stronghold of the ruling party.

Petitioner Bashir Ahmed, a resident of Larkana, moved the SHC over alleged embezzlement of funds allocated for the uplift works in Larkana and impleaded PPP women wing chief MNA Faryal Talpur, who is a sister of PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, former town Nazim Dr Shafqat Hussain Soomro, former law minister Ayaz Soomro, the then district coordination officer, deputy commissioner, project director of the Larkana development project and others as respondents in the petition.

Besides other development schemes, he contended that after the 2008 elections, Rs12 billions funds had been allocated for the development and beautification of Larkana city and alleged that roads and other development works were made without any proper planning while substandard material was used because of alleged corruption by the respondents.

Petition filed in January 2013 at Larkana bench transferred to Karachi

The petitioner pointed out that mostly the reconstructed roads were destroyed in rains while several others had developed cracks at different places. Besides none of the roads of Larkana city had been improved or widened, he added.

He further maintained that people of Larkana were facing hardships in shape of traffic jams, dust-polluted air, stagnant sewage water on roads and frequent accidents.

He argued that internal drains and roads had been made with substandard material and major portion of the grant had been usurped, but nobody had taken the pain to check the condition of the city.

He asked the court to order the constitution of a committee based on honest town planners and other technical persons to probe into the misappropriation, ill-planning and embezzlement of public money of Larkana development project on large scale by the respondents in the name of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

A two-judge bench of the SHC headed by Chief Justice Sajjad Ali Shah observed that the petitioner’s grievance appeared to be that money had been misappropriated in the Annual Development Project in Larkana. According to the petitioner a total of Rs90 billion was granted in the schemes of the ADP, but hardly a few billion was spent, the court order said.

Denying the allegations of corruption, an additional attorney-general contended that they were totally exaggerated.

However, the bench directed the law officer to submit a statement reflecting the ADP funds allocated for Larkana from 2008 up to the date.

The hearing was adjourned for a date to be later notified by the office.

It may be recalled that the petition was filed in January 2013 at the Circuit bench Larkana, but the matter could only be taken up for one time at Larkana.

Subsequently, it was transferred to the SHC principal seat and notices were issued to respondents.

Published in Dawn, September 2nd, 2016