Sindh govt asked to submit media ads policy in SHC
KARACHI: A divisional bench of Sindh High Court (SHC) on Friday ordered provincial government to submit the official policy for awarding advertisements to media by October 04, 2018.
The divisional bench headed by Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar took up the hearing of the petition, which was filed against the advertisements campaigns launched by Sindh Government from 2013 to date on the plea that the carrying the pictures of political leaders on these advertisements was illegal.
The petitioner Mureed Ali Shah submitted that these advertisements were inscribed with the pictures of former and sitting top leadership of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). He furnished a list of advertisements which carried the pictures of PPP leaders. He accused Sindh government of committing corruption in awarding of the advertisements and referred to the PPP’s former provincial information minister Sharjeel Memon, who is facing trial on charges of embezzling the public money in awarding government ads.
The petitioner alleged that Sindh Government is using the ads for the sake of its publicity rather than for public welfare.
He stated that people are dying at public hospitals due to scarcity of medicines.
He said the ruling party used these advertisements to shape public opinion in its favour instead of bringing improvement in the lives of people. He claimed the ruling party can’t run its campaign by utilizing the public money.
Mureed Shah prayed the court to order National Accountability Bureau (NAB) or any other investigating agency to probe this matter and billions of rupees spent on these advertisements should be recovered from the ruling party. He also pleaded the court to issue directives for investigation into award of ads to print media alongside the electronic media.
Sindh Government filed its reply in the court against the petition as sought by the court in the previous hearing. Sindh Government claimed that carrying the pictures of the party leadership on the government advertisements was not illegal.
The SHC bench, however, ordered the provincial government to submit its policy about awarding of advertisements by October 04 when the hearing would be taken up.
Meanwhile, a divisional bench of SHC reduced the 21-year imprisonment of convict Aqil Nawab to five years imprisonment after he challenged his conviction awarded by an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC). In addition to imprisonment, fine was also imposed on him for possessing explosive materials and illegal arms under Terrorism Act.
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