Chief Justice SM Atiq Shah of the Peshawar High Court today expressed deep frustration at a contempt petition filed by the Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa chapter. The court was scheduled to hear a case where no representative from the Finance Department appeared, despite clear orders for payment.
The contempt petition stemmed from an outstanding debt owed to newspapers for government advertisements spanning multiple years. In 2023, a writ petition was filed seeking reimbursement of approximately Rs1.8 billion. At that time, while acknowledging the outstanding amount, authorities requested an extension to resolve the issue.
On May 22, 2024, the high court directed Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s government to clear the dues. Yet, despite several months passing and judicial directives, no payment had been received. This prompted the filing of a contempt petition aimed at compelling action from relevant officials.
During Tuesday’s hearing, the absence of any representative from the Finance Department caused considerable alarm among judges. Despite announcing plans for Rs800 million to be released to newspapers during the current fiscal year in recent meetings with stakeholders, Chief Justice Atiq Shah was unsatisfied. He criticized the finance department’s non-compliance and directed them to appear at a future date.
The judge stressed that his office had already scheduled a subsequent hearing for when officials would next be available, reissuing notices to ensure accountability. His comments underscored the mounting tension in efforts to resolve this longstanding issue affecting media rights and public trust in government transparency.