PESHAWAR: The members of the opposition in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Tuesday complained that they were being ignored in the allocation of development funds. They reiterated the demand to include their constituencies in the Annual Development Programme (ADP).
Initiating the debate on the ADP, opposition leader Akram Khan Durrani said the government had failed to fulfill its commitments made on the floor of the assembly. Expressing anger over absence of ministers, he said there was no benefit of the debate as the ministers concerned including minister for planning and development and minister for finance were not present to reply.
He said the government was trying to get Rs200 billion from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) ignoring the fact as to how the province would return the loan and on which projects the amount would be spent.
Reiterating the opposition demand for formation of a parliamentary committee on the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project, he said there were reports about getting more than Rs17 billion for the project.
He pointed out that the chief minister has already ordered an inquiry into the delay in the project. Sher Azam Wazir of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) also complained that the opposition was being ignored in the distribution of the uplift funds.
He said the opposition members were part of this assembly as elected public representatives and, therefore, they should not be compelled to move the court for getting the rights of their constituents.
Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) parliamentary leader Sardar Mohammad Yousaf said equal distribution of development funds was legal right of all the lawmakers but the opposition members’ constituencies were ignored. It would be strange to go to court against the government for discrimination in allocation of development funds, he added.
Sardar Aurangzeb Nalotha of the PML-N, however, suggested that schemes in the ADP should be recommended by government officers at the district level on need basis.
Inayatullah Khan of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) sought explanation how Rs57 billion were given to Peshawar, Rs19 billion to Nowshera, Rs15 billion to Swat, Rs11 billion to Mardan, Rs10 billion to Swabi, Rs6 billion to Abbottabad and Rs3.3 million to Tank during the previous term of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
He also sought explanation under which law MNAs were allowed to execute small drinking water supply, drainage and street pavement schemes. Awami National Party (ANP) parliamentary leader Sardar Hussain Babak said the provincial government had ignored the opposition constituencies in the allocation of development funds.
Even maintenance and repair funds were not being released to carry out work in the districts where roads were in dilapidated condition, he complained. He said the government should make public the report of ANP-led coalition government from 2008-2013 in the province to know how much funds were allocated for the constituencies of the opposition members.
He asked as to why the federal government was not releasing the pending Rs45 billion to the province on account of net hydel profit. Maulana Lutfur Rahman, Munawwar Khan and Mian Nisar Gul of JUI-F, ANP’s Khushdil Khan, Bahadur Khan and Laiq Ahmad Khan, PML-N’s Waqar Ahmad Khan and PPP’s Ahmad Karim Kundi also expressed similar concerns and said even the ongoing schemes in their constituencies were left incomplete due to lack of funds.
Ahmad Kundi said China brought 700 million people out of abject poverty, but in Pakistan development projects were being given on the basis of like and dislike. Senior Minister Mohammad Atif Khan and Food Minister Qalandar Khan Lodhi, however, assured the opposition of provision of their share in development funds and invited all the parliamentary leaders for consultation on Wednesday (today).
Qalandar Lodhi while winding up the debate said the chief minister has given an assurance about equal distribution of uplift funds.
He asked the opposition to meet the chief minister and discuss with him their schemes instead of threatening to move the court. He agreed with the lawmaker Aurangzeb Nalotha’s suggestion for authorizing schemes the district level officers of the line departments to propose development schemes on need base.
The House unanimously passed the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Building (Management Control and Allotment) (amendment) Bill, 2019 while KP Land Acquisition (mines) (amendment) Bill, 2019 was introduced.
Earlier, Maliha Asghar Ali of the ruling PTI on a point of order clarified that the government was not against women’s rights and the observing of the Women Day on March 8 as is being propagated by some civil society activists on the social media.
“However, the resolution passed by the assembly was against some objectionable slogans and words used during the Women Day rallies as these were against Islamic injunctions,” she explained.