Denial of funds irks K-P opposition members

The opposition members provincial assembly (MPAs) in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa have been without development funds for the past three years and they have decided to approach government on this issue by adopting a joint strategy.

Talking to The Express Tribune opposition MPAs said that they will jointly approach the provincial government and they will demand the distribution of fund as per the 65/35 formula. It means that 65 percent funds should be given to government MPAs and 35 percent should go to the opposition MPAs.

It is worth mentioning here that five opposition parties in the K-P Assembly including Jamiat Ulma-e-Islam Fazal (JUI-F), Awami National Party (ANP), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Jamat-e-Islami (JI) twice set up a protesting camp outside the Chief Minister House and several time raised the issue of non-availability of funds on the assembly floor following which a committee of ministers as well as CM himself met the protesting lawmakers and assured availability of funds as well as agreeing on the 65/35 formula but nothing practical came out of it.

The opposition has decided to adopt an effective joint strategy in this regard to put pressure on the government.

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When contacted PML-N’s MPA Sardar Orangzeb Nalota said that each opposition MPA has been allocated Rs35 million funds in the past three years but in most cases these were not released in full.

“These funds could not be used. It is limited to just tenders of Rs35 million and nothing else,” he said.

“The opposition is united and we will finalise a joint strategy in this regard. We will contact the CM so as to make sure the availability of funds for the next fiscal year,” he said.

ANP’s Shagufta Malilk also confirmed that they were given Rs35 million but its use was another story. She said that a five member ministers’ committee negotiated the matter with the opposition and they assured release of funds but the matter could not be solved to this day.

When approached Finance Minister Taimur Saleem Jhagra said that an opposition MPA took the matter to court which caused disruption of funds for the entire Peshawar district for a long time.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 1^st, 2021.