Mardan nazims suspended on authentic reports: AG

Tells court fake signatures of members used to show budget approval

PESHAWAR: Advocate General of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Abdul Lateef Yousafzai on Thursday told a division bench of the Peshawar High Court (PHC) that the chief minister had issued notification about suspension of the district nazim and naib nazim of Mardan after receiving authentic reports of fake signatures of certain district council members in the approval of budget which was done to show a simple majority for the budget nod.

“The chief minister issued the suspension notification of the nazims after receiving Local Council Commission inquiry and forensic laboratory report that certain members’ fake signatures were used for the approval of the budget. The chief minister took this action after receiving complaints of the district council members who had not attended the budget meeting and fake signatures were used for the approval of the budget,” the advocate general told a division bench comprising of Justice Nisar Hussain Khan and Justice Qaiser Rashid Khan.

He argued that budget meeting was very important in which this unlawful act was done on part of the suspended nazims. He submitted that the chief minister took this action under the law and after receiving preliminary report of the inquiry into the matter.

The advocate general informed the bench that the chief minister suspended the nazims for 30 days and if the Local Council Commission failed to complete the inquiry within 30 days, then they would stand restored automatically.

He said that KP Local Government system was unique system in the country and this was a wrong impression that the provincial government was against the smooth running of this system.

However, the court said the advocate general was arguing verbally as the government had not submitted record about forensic laboratory report of fake signatures and preliminary inquiry report on the basis of which the petitioners were suspended.

The bench directed the provincial government through advocate general to submit preliminary inquiry report and forensic laboratory report of fake signatures within two days. The case was adjourned till May 16.

However, the bench extended the stay order till May 16 on suspending the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak’s notification that had suspended the Mardan District Nazim Himayatullah Mayar, who belongs to the Awami National Party (ANP) and Naib Nazim Asad Ali affiliated with the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).