KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Tuesday summoned the secretaries of the establishment division and the ministry of water resources for not notifying the federal member of the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) from Sindh despite an earlier order.

A two-judge constitutional bench headed by Justice Mohammad Karim Khan Agha directed both the secretaries to appear in court on Aug 18 along with a compliance report.

It also warned that in case of non-compliance, appropriate orders would be passed against alleged contemnors.

Petitioner Ghulam Abbas Leghari submitted that he had filed a petition in 2013 seeking appointment of federal member of Irsa from Sindh and in May 2017 the SHC had allowed the same and directed the respondents to make such appointment.

Recently, he has filed an application in the SHC seeking contempt proceedings against the secretaries of the establishment division and the ministry of water resources for not complying with its order passed in 2017.

At the outset of hearing on Tuesday, the bench expressed dissatisfaction over the statements submitted on behalf of both the alleged contemnors.

Thereafter, the court directed establishment division secretary Inamullah Khan and ministry of water resources secretary Syed Ali Murtaza to appear in person at the next hearing and file a compliance report.

Last month, another divisional bench of the SHC had also ordered the authorities concerned to appoint federal member of Irsa from Sindh within three weeks in another petition.

A grower of Sindh has filed the petition against the appointment of federal member of Irsa Asjad Imtiaz Ali and submitted that his appointment was made in clear violation of a policy decision as well as an earlier judgement of the SHC passed in 2017 on the subject matter.

Earlier, the provincial authorities had also apprised the SHC that the Sindh had proposed retired chief engineer Shafqat Hussain Wadho to be appointed as federal member Irsa from Sindh for a period of three years.

Citing the secretaries of establishment and water resources divisions, Irsa chairman, secretary of the Sindh irrigation department and federal member of Irsa as respondents, the petitioner also impugned the water availability certificate issued by Irsa for construction of new canals on the Indus River in Cholistan.

The SHC had already suspended the impugned water available certificate issued for construction of such canals and also directed the respondents to appoint federal member of Irsa from Sindh.

Earlier, a federal law officer had informed the SHC that the Council of Common Interests (CCI) had returned the impugned water available certificate and also decided in a meeting held on April 28 that no new canals would be built without mutual understanding from the CCI.

The SHC had also advised the respondents that in order to resolve the subject issue in a holistic manner, the necessary legislative amendment may be done so that controversies of such magnitude were prevented in future as the same were undermining the national unity.

Published in Dawn, June 25th, 2025