K-P opposition questions uneven distribution of ADP funds

Say will go to court if funds not released to all districts

PESHAWAR: Opposition benches in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly showed resentment over the uneven distribution of development funds.

The provincial government should allocate annual development plan (ADP) funds evenly among all districts, otherwise the opposition will take the matter to the court, MPAs of the opposition parties said during the assembly session held on Tuesday.

Leader of Opposition Akram Khan Durrani said that in spite of the fact that the financial year was going to end, the government did not even act on the ADP or checked the plans.

Durrani came down harsh on Prime Minister Imran Khan. “If the PM does not attend the National Assembly session, how could he make his ministers accountable?”

Durrani said the government was acquiring more and more loans increasing the debt burden of the country.

Regarding the BRT project, Durrani said it was a huge fiasco. “PTI’s is a unique government, each day there is a new scandal surfaces. BRT is a failed project, but still the government turned deaf ear to calls of the opposition benches for creating a parliamentary committee to probe into the BRT corruptions and added that if CM inspection team could probe into the matter, why not a parliamentary committee.”

PPP Parliamentary Leader in the K-P Assembly Sher Azam Wazir accused that due to few ministers, member of the treasury were also being deprived of the development funds.

Wazir said the opposition has raised its voice against the injustice distribution of ADP funds and if the government continues with such practice, they would knock on door of the court.

While taking part in the discussion PML-N Parliamentary Leader Sardar Muhammad Yousaf asserted that in the previous PTI government too, the opposition lawmakers were deprived of the development funds. He also demanded that allocation of grant for Hazara University. It is a newly established education institution, but the PTI government, which always makes announcements of promoting education, is not giving it due grant.

“Public did not give votes to PTI only, they also returned opposition members to the assembly. We are just as much part of this house as the ruling party’s lawmakers,” Yousuf said.

The assembly represents sentiments of all lawmakers and it is the constitutional right of all MPAs to get development funds for their respective constituencies, he said.

MMA lawmakers Maulana Inyat Ullah and Maulana Lutf Ullah also criticised the PTI government and claimed that current government intentionally deprived the opposition benches of the due funds, while few of the projects halted due to stoppage of the funds of the opposition members.

Inayat Ullah Said that in the last five years, Abbottabad, Mardan, Swat, Nowshera and Swabi received most of the development funds, while the southern districts received the least.

ANP showed satisfaction over Supreme Court’s decision on Nawaz Sharif bail and said that the opposition have showed displeasure of the uneven distribution of development funds and he assured me that he would sought-out the issue, but failed each time. ”Certain minister are more powerful than Chief Minister Mahmood Khan, and we have the knowledge that PTI has rifts, while the province faces the worse governance model ever,” Sardar Hussain Babak said.

Bhadur Khan, Munwar Khan, Waqar Ahmed Khan and Sardar Aurangzeb also took part into the discussion.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 27^th, 2019.