PHC orders implementation of governor’s order

This requires welfare funds to be issued through receipts, record of expenditures


Fawad Ali March 30, 2017
PHC upholds earlier decision of Abbottabad election tribunal which ruled that MPA’s seminary certificate was fake. PHOTO: PPI/FILE

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) has directed the Fata Secretariat’s additional chief secretary (ACS), political agents (PAs) and deputy commissioners (DCs) to strictly implement the standing order of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) governor for transparent spending of the tribal areas political welfare funds.

The PHC’s division bench, comprising Justice Qaiser Rasheed and Justice Atiq Shah, issued the verdict on Wednesday while hearing a petition seeking implementation of the governor’s order.

When the hearing commenced, the petitioner’s counsel Shakeel Ahmad argued that the Fata Secretariat on April 14, 2014 issued a standing order of the K-P governor for political authorities of all the tribal agencies and regions.

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The lawyer argued that a notification issued to this effect stated that the welfare funds would be issued through receipts and records of all expenditure would be maintained and submitted in the secretariat on a monthly basis.

According to the notification, all the PAs of tribal areas and DCs of frontier regions would be bound to print machine readable permits or rahdaris and details of that would be communicated to the Fata Secretariat along with monthly reconciled statements of receipts and expenditures.

The mode of receipts shall be bank deposit and expenditures through cross cheques duly supported by vouchers, if any.  “The standing order says a receipt register shall be maintained on a daily basis showing items and receipt of the funds signed by the PAs and the DCs,” he said.

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The petitioner’s counsel argued that as per the standing orders the entry points shall be notified through which authorised goods are transported and proper register of receipts shall be maintained.

It necessitates that the PAs carry out periodic inspections of the funds and undertake annual internal audit and maintain proper records. It also required creation of an endowment fund at each agency and Frontier Region to provide financial assistance to the poor. The endowment fund is to be regulated through proper rules to be notified by Fata’s ACS.

“Implementation of the standing orders of Agency Political Welfare Fund is necessary for the welfare of the deserving people of Fata,” the petitioners’ counsel contended. Later, the bench ordered to ensure implementation of the standing order.

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