SUKKUR: The Sindh High Court Sukkur bench on Monday issued arrest warrants for the secretary transport and deputy commissioner of Ghotki in two different cases for their failure to appear before the court.

The court ordered the secretary to appear on Dec 15 in the Rohri Bus Terminal case.

A two-member constitutional bench, comprising Justice Zulfiqar Ali Sangi and Justice Abdul Hamid Bhurgari, heard the petition filed by Rahib Malano and Ali Hassan Mastoi through their counsel Sarfaraz Akhund.

RTC (Regional Transport Authority) Sukkur official Fayyaz Mangi and DRT (District Regional Transport) Khairpur official Riaz Solangi were present in the court.

When the bench asked about the absence of the secretary transport, an additional secretary appeared on behalf of the secretary and informed the bench that the secretary was attending a cabinet meeting.

Justice Zulfiqar Ali Sangi remarked: “We’ve summoned the secretary, not the additional secretary”.

“Is the cabinet meeting more important than the Sindh High Court?” the court asked, and expressed its displeasure and issued the bailable arrest warrant for the secretary transport.

The petition was filed to make the Rohri Bus Terminal functional. The petitioner’s counsel contended that transporters have established booking offices illegally at the Babarloi Bypass which should be closed down.

Warrant for DC’s arrest

The same bench also issued an arrest warrant for the deputy commissioner of Ghotki on his failure to appear in the court.

It was seized with a petition filed by Ali Gohar Gaddani and other villagers from Ghotki regarding the request for the survey of 236-acre land in Deh Sahita, Ghotki District.

Petitioner’s counsel advocate Anwar Lohar informed the court: “The revenue officials are not carrying out the survey of more than 236 acres of land in Deh Sahita, Ghotki, which is causing distress to the villagers.” The land survey should be conducted, the counsel prayed.

The court inquired about the absence of the deputy commissioner and remarked: “We had summoned the deputy commissioner; why the deputy commissioner has not appeared in the court?”

Issuing the bailable arrest warrant for him, the court ordered him to appear on Dec 22.

Hearing another petition, the bench expressed its strong displeasure over the poor condition of national highways and the resulting loss of human lives in accidents.

Justice Sangi said: “Why shouldn’t an inquiry be conducted by NAB (National Accountability Bureau), and why shouldn’t an order be issued to seal the accounts of the National Highway Authority?”

The petition pertained to the Sukkur-Hyderabad Motorway, Mehran Highway and Sukkur City Bypass.

The officials present at the hearing included the joint secretary communication, Sukkur DIG Faisal Abdullah Chachar, Shaheed Benazirabad DIG and officials from the National Highway Authority (NHA) and Motorway Police.

Published in Dawn, December 2nd, 2025