A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court challenging the Sindh High Court’s (SHC) dismissal of an earlier case against the provincial government’s purchase of luxury vehicles for bureaucrats. The appeal, submitted by Jamaat-e-Islami’s Member of the Provincial Assembly Muhammad Farooq through Advocate Usman Farooq, contests the SHC’s March 28 ruling that had allowed the procurement of these high-end vehicles.
According to the petition, the Sindh government has allocated an estimated Rs2 billion to procure 138 new double-cabin 4×4 vehicles for Assistant Commissioners across the province. The official notification for the procurement was issued on September 3. The petitioner contends that these vehicles, labeled as luxury items, are being bought with public funds derived from citizens’ taxes and offers no tangible public benefit in return.
The petition raises concern over the timing and scale of the expenditure, pointing out that Pakistan’s inflation rate has surged past 28 per cent, as documented in a recent report by the State Bank. The plea emphasizes that during a period of severe economic hardship, the allocation of such a significant amount of taxpayer money for bureaucratic privileges is unjustified and contrary to the principles of public welfare.
The petitioner argues that the purchase constitutes a misuse of authority and violates the public trust, urging the Supreme Court to overturn the SHC’s verdict and halt the procurement process. The case brings to the forefront issues of government accountability, fiscal discipline, and ethical use of public resources in times of economic distress.
