Karachi Mayor Faces Contempt of Court Petition Over Non-Payment of Pensions

Karachi: The Sindh High Court heard a contempt of court petition filed against the Mayor of Karachi and other officials over the non-payment of pensions and dues to retired employees of local government institutions.

During the hearing, government counsel Abdul Jalil Zebidi submitted a response before the court. According to the reply, the Municipal Commissioner of Karachi Metropolitan Corporation had written a letter to the Additional Chief Secretary for Local Government, while the Finance Department had released Rs. 200 million for pension payments covering October to December. However, an additional Rs. 34.5 million is still required to clear remaining dues.

The government lawyer requested more time to submit a detailed reply, which was granted by Justice Adnan-ul-Karim Memon, allowing one week for further submissions.

The court was also informed that due to a shortage of petroleum products in the country, the use of official vehicles has been reduced by half, two weekly holidays have been introduced, and medical and development projects have been affected.

Justice Memon questioned whether Sindh was also facing a financial crisis, to which the government counsel responded that provincial authorities were following federal government policies.

The court has sought a comprehensive response within three weeks.

Petitioner’s counsel, Usman Farooq, argued that the Sindh High Court had already ordered in May 2025 that pension benefits be paid and directed the Finance Department to address the funding shortfall. He added that despite clear court orders, pension payments remain completely halted, causing severe financial hardship for retired employees.

The petitioner requested the court to initiate contempt proceedings against the Secretary Local Government, Mayor Karachi, Municipal Commissioner KMC, and other officials for failing to comply with court directives.