Not following the rules: K-P governor’s secretary served show-cause notice

Officials failed to abide by PHC order to suspend freeze notice for projects under ADP 2013-14

PESHAWAR:

The Peshawar High Court (PHC) issued notices to the principal secretary of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) governor and FATA secretary planning and development for failing to abide by a court order suspending a freeze on development projects.

A division bench of Justice Malik Manzoor Hussain and Justice Ikramullah Khan was hearing a contempt of court application filed by Mastu Khan through his counsel Aminur Rehman.

Rehman told the bench former governor Shaukatullah Khan had started several development projects for seven agencies and six frontier regions.

These were suspended by his successor Sardar Mehtab Abbasi. Rehman pointed out the latter divided projects into five categories according to funds already utilised.

A division bench of Chief Justice Mazhar Alam Miankhel and Justice Qaiser Rasheed Khan suspended the order of Governor Mehtab to freeze the development schemes after Mastu moved the court on July 8.

However, when the Annual Developmental Program for 2014-15 was unveiled, it was stated that Mehtab’s directives would be followed although the PHC had already suspended his notification to freeze several 2013-14 projects.

After hearing arguments, the PHC issued show-cause notices to the principal secretary of Governor Mehtab and the FATA secretary for planning and development to explain their position.

Mehtab’s order in April had stated those schemes of the ADP 2013-14 on  which work had not started or which were awaiting approval would be frozen. Projects which had utilised up to 70% or more of their funding were meant to be continued and completed by June 30 this year.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 29^th, 2014.