ADP umbrella schemes: PHC asks KP govt to respond to opposition’s petition

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Tuesday asked the provincial government to respond to the petition filed by the opposition members of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly against umbrella/block schemes in the Annual Development Programme (ADP).

A two-member bench comprising Chief Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim and Justice Wiqar Ahmad heard the petition.The opposition leader in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Dr Ibaddullah Khan and members Arbab Muhammad Wasim, Ahmad Kundi, Arbab Muhammad Usman, Kiramatullah Khan, Ihsanullah Khan, Muhammad Iqbal Khan and 19 others had filed the petition.

Lawyers Sultan Muhammad Khan Advocate and Babar Khan Yousafzai appeared for the petitioners.The opposition lawmakers argued that inclusion of these projects was illegal and prayed the court to declare them projects null and void. They requested the court to order the government to stop the release of funds for the projects.

KP chief secretary, additional chief secretary Planning and Development D, secretary Communication and Works and the secretaries of other departments were made respondents in the petition.

The petitioners said the provincial government presented the budget in June 2024 in which the Annual Development Programme was also approved.They said that the government had included in the ADP some block allocations and umbrella schemes, which they believed was a sheer violation of the law. The petitioners added that the Supreme Court and Peshawar High Court had already delivered verdicts declaring such projects illegal and unconstitutional.

The opposition members informed the court through their petition that road construction, clean drinking water supply, multi-sectoral development and others had been included in the projects and a significant amount has been allocated for the same.

Referring to the umbrella schemes, they said the projects had been sanctioned illegally and the manner in which funds were being released was also a violation of the government’s own funds policy.

According to the petitioners, the projects had been included on the basis of favouritism and nepotism while the lawmakers belonging to the opposition were being discriminated against.

The petitioners prayed the court to declare the inclusion of the umbrella and block schemes in the ADP as illegal and stop the process of release and distribution of funds for the schemes.