BHC bans district-wise projects in PSDP 2018-19

Orders provincial government to include only those projects that benefit the entire province

QUETTA: The Balochistan High Court (BHC) on Thursday ordered the provincial government to take up only those development projects in next year’s Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) that benefited the people of the province and banned the ones concerning a single district.

A two-member BHC bench, comprising Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail and Justice Kamran Mullahkhail, issued these orders while conducting a hearing into a case regarding discrepancy in choosing areas for PSDP projects.



The bench also directed the provincial government to submit a complete report of the PSDP 2018-19.

The bench observed that the provincial government had violated ‘Balochistan Rule of Business and Planning Commission’ by including individual-based development projects in the next PSDP instead of collective development projects that would favour the people of the entire province.

Provincial Minister for Communication and Construction Asim Kurd Gelu, Adviser to CM on Excise and Taxation Abdul Karim Nosherwani, Opposition Leader Abdul Rahim Ziaratwal, ANP MPA Engineer Zamarak Khan Achakzai, Additional Chief Secretary Planning and Development Naseebullah Bazai and other officials were in attendance.



Justice Mandokhail said, “Unfortunately the development budget is not being utilised in the province properly. The utilisation process is in violation of terms and conditions and a prime cause of deprivation of the people of the province.”

He termed such projects as political bribery.

Justice Mandokhail reprimanded the authorities involved in approving individual-based projects.

He said, “The court has a list of 450 such projects and pictures of water tanks painted on political flags.”



Confessing before the bench, Additional Chief Secretary Bazai said, “There are numerous individual-based projects included in the PSDP that are always included during the last minute of the finalisation of the annual budget.”

Bazai informed the court about life threats made to the officers for inclusion of the projects in the PSDP.

The bench stated, “It’s a shameful act that MPAs are threatening officers to include their projects in the PSDP.”



Clearing his position, Adviser to CM on Excise and Taxation Nosherwani said, “Ironically bureaucrats have been running provincial affairs and we are just like daily wagers.”

Nosherwani said that 11 water schemes had been approved for his constituency but funds had not yet been released.

The court ordered the provincial secretaries to initiate work on new PSDP projects like water, education and health that would benefit the people of Balochistan.