The Peshawar High Court (PHC) has banned the use of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government resources, including official vehicles, for personal or political use.

 

Reports quoted a court order as saying that the provincial administration was banned from using official vehicles without authorisation as it was “misconduct and abuse of authority”.

 

“This court is of the view that the use of official vehicles, machinery, or any other government resources for participation in, or facilitation of, political gatherings, protest rallies, or long marches constitutes a blatant misuse of public property and authority,” read the PHC order.

 

It further stated that the practice was not only violating public trust but also undermining the concept of neutral governance.

 

“Public resources, including official vehicles and heavy machinery, are procured and maintained from the public exchequer for the sole purpose of performing official duties and providing services to the citizens in accordance with law,” the order said, adding that the diversion of public resources for political purposes undermined the sanctity of the public office and affected public confidence in the impartiality of the administration.

 

Stating that nobody holding public office could employ government resources for partisan or personal use, the PHC ruled that Articles 4 (right of individuals to be dealt with in accordance with law), 5 (loyalty to state and obedience to Constitution and law) and 25 (equality of citizens) of the Constitution implied that public resources could not be used by any one party or individual “to the disadvantage of others”.

 

“In a democratic system governed by the rule of law, the state must maintain strict separation between official functions and political activities,” the order read.

 

“The use of government vehicles or personnel in political events conveys an impression of state endorsement or complicity in partisan matters, which is impermissible,” it said, ordering the KP government to ensure that “no official vehicle, machinery, or manpower under their control is deployed, used, or permitted to be used for any protest, long march, rally, or political activity of any nature”.

 

It may be noted that the order comes a year after a petition against the KP government in November 2024 sought a ban on the use of government vehicles like fire engines during the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) long march to Islamabad.

 

It said that the provincial government had used government resources from the local government department that government officials had been mobilised to join the march.