KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) has disposed of two constitutional petitions concerning the ownership, allotment, and mutation disputes over the M-9 Motorway’s right-of-way, remanding the matter back to the Government of Sindh’s competent authority for a fresh review. A division bench comprising Justice Adnan-ul-Karim Memon and Justice Muhammad Jafar Raza directed the National Highway Authority (NHA) to submit a formal reference to the Sindh government containing all relevant documents regarding the allotment and mutation of the specific right-of-way. Under the ruling, the competent authority has been instructed to comprehensively review the NHA’s legal standing, prior approvals, 2018 legislative amendments, concession agreements, land payments, and objections raised by petitioners and intervenors regarding service roads and corridors. Furthermore, all stakeholders must be granted a fair hearing, and a reasoned, written order must be issued on every critical point, with the entire process to be completed on a priority basis within 45 days of receiving the official reference. This follows the Sindh government’s stance that the land remains provincial property—claiming the NHA neither acquired it nor paid for its acquisition—and that the 2018 provincial assembly amendment was enacted within its legal authority.
