PESHAWAR: A two-member bench of the Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Friday imposed a ban on the participation of government vehicles and employees in political parties’ protests, long marches, rallies and similar activities, declaring that such involvement falls under “misconduct.”
The bench, comprising Justice Sahibzada Asadullah and Justice Dr Khurshid Iqbal, issued the directive while deciding a writ petition filed by Jawad Ali. Advocate Intikhab Chamkani represented the petitioner.
The petitioner argued that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had been using official resources during various protest demonstrations, causing taxpayers’ money to be spent on political party events.
The court was provided with details of government vehicles allegedly used in these activities.
According to the petition, this not only amounted to misuse of public resources but also diverted vehicles from their official purpose for the benefit of a political party, whose workers treated these resources as their own especially evident during recent protests.
In the written judgment authored by Justice Sahibzada Asadullah, the court noted that it had carefully reviewed the concerns raised by the petitioner as well as the lists of government vehicles presented.
On the government’s behalf, the Assistant Advocate General argued that the submitted list was inaccurate and that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf–led provincial government was not using official resources; rather, government workers were participating in protests using their own means. The court held that in a democratic system, all institutions must operate within their defined limits.
Any department funded by public money cannot become an instrument of a political party. It emphasized that the administration must ensure that state resources are not used for the benefit of any political party,- even if that party was in power, because public resources belonged to the people.
The judgment stated that the court reviewed the parties’ arguments and examined how such practices could be controlled. “As public expectations from a democratic government require adherence to transparency and lawful conduct, this petition is disposed of accordingly,” the ruling said.
The court directed all administrative officers to ensure that government vehicles, resources, and employees do not take part in any political party’s rallies, protests, or sit-ins. The court further observed that such use of official resources constitutes misconduct and may create serious issues for government employees.
The writ petition was disposed of in light of the observations.
