SC irked by provincial govts over featuring politicians on govt ads

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Thursday expressed ire over provincial governments’ failure to adhere to a ban on featuring photographs of politicians in government-sponsored ads.

A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar and comprising Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Faisal Arbab was unsatisfied by Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Information Secretary’s report on a 10-day government advertisement campaign featuring pictures of former chief minister Pervez Khattak.

“It seems like the K-P government is misleading the apex court,” observed Justice Nisar. Addressing the information secretary, he added: “Despite being a government official, you are defending a political leader.”

Seeking reply from Khattak in the matter, the bench adjourned hearing till December 1 [Monday].

The top court also directed Sindh and Punjab governments to compensate for the money used from the national treasury for political ads. Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has been ordered to deposit Rs1.45 million within 10 days while former Punjab chief minister Shehbaz Sharif has been told repay Rs5 million.

Source: The Express Tribune