Supreme Court summons CM, Mustafa Kamal in pollution case
KARACHI: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari shared on social media that he is glad that Sindh chief minister (CM) will get an opportunity to present the case of PPP government in Supreme Court (SC).
Earlier in the day, SC’s Karachi Registry had summoned CM Murad Ali Shah in a water pollution case.
Over the matter, Bilawal tweeted,
“1 of biggest crisis affecting all of Pakistan is water. The Sindh Govt has taken practical steps to address this from investing in the most RO plants across the province, lining of our canals and construction of dams. I’m glad CM will get a chance to present our case in SC.”
PPP chairperson also claimed that the issue is not Sindh-specific, adding that the province is always “singled-out”.
Bilawal wrote on Twitter,
“Water is not just a Sindh issue. While we beat the drum of CPEC in Balochistan many areas have no access to water. South Punjab has its own water issues as does southern KPK. Islamabad even has water access problems.What have other provinces done? Why is Sindh always singled out?”
The Supreme Court summoned on Monday Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah on December 6 while hearing a petition filed by Advocate Shahab Usto at the Karachi Registry.
The three-member bench, which was hearing a case on the provision of clean drinking water for people of Sindh at Supreme Court’s Karachi Registry, also summoned former city mayor Mustafa Kamal.
During the court proceedings, Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Mian Saqib Nasir lashed out at the Sindh government for its negligence over the supply of unsafe drinking water across the province and observed: “This is a matter of people’s lives, it cannot be ignored. The chief minister will be asked about all the steps he has taken in this regard.”
The chief justice also remarked that the judiciary must intervene when the government fails to fulfil its responsibilities. Justice Saqib observed that people were suffering from diseases like cancer and hepatitis due to drinking polluted water, adding that the SC would follow this case closely since it was an “extremely serious” matter.
He added that he can come to Karachi every week in order to find out who was responsible for the mismanagement in water distribution throughout the province.
