Another issue

As if CNG pricing crisis was not enough to disrupt the public life, now comes another bomb shell from the Pakistan’ Superior Courts – Kalabagh dam. Punjab’ High Court has ordered the federal government to construct the Kalabagh dam; a controversial project lingering on for last many decades. This is the project on which country’ three out of four provinces have shown serious reservation.
I wonder why the Superior Courts are wandering in the areas wherein they don’t have the expertise. Court is the forum which is supposed to provide verdict based on the facts presented before it. It shall not be courts’ job to get involved in economic and political management of the country. Court’s verdict on CNG price has not only disrupted the economic activity in the country due to non-availability of CNG at Supreme Court’s proposed price, but has also adversely affected the government’ plan to reduce the gap between petrol and CNG pricing. This is to make it less attractive for general consumers to make it available for industries. Same is applicable for court order on delimitation of constituencies in Karachi which amounts to unnecessarily incite the ethnic tension. Presently constituencies are based on 1998 census; if there were some irregularities in formulation of in 2002 constituencies, those shall have been rectified. Court’s next target appears to be the local government bill recently passed by the Sindh assembly. Earlier, we have already seen court’s unnecessary involvement in memogate scandal.
This turmoil is not taking us anywhere; economic and political decisions shall be left for the concerned parties to take. A jack of all trades can’t produce a genuine thing unless limit himself to non-issues such as Samosa size and its pricing.
MASOOD KHAN
Jubail, Saudi Arabia