PHC summons KP secretaries for not releasing grant despite CM’s announcement

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Tuesday summoned secretary law and secretary Finance Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on April 26, directing to explain the reason for not issuing the grant despite announcement by the chief minister three years back.

A two-member bench comprising Justice Qaiser Rashid Khan and Justice Ikramullah Khan directed secretary law and secretary finance Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to appear in the court on the next hearing.

During hearing, the Justice Qaiser Rashid questioned why the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister was making public announcements about grants to the bar associations, which are not implemented in years. The bench was hearing writ petition filed by PHCBA, seeking disqualification of Chief Minister Pervez Khattak on the grounds that he was not righteous and sagacious as he had not fulfilled the commitment made with the association for provision of a Rs10 million grant.

The PHCBA's general secretary Rehmanullah Khan submitted before the bench that Pervez Khattak should be disqualified as a member of the KP Assembly under Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution and should also be disqualified from the post of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister. The respondents in the petition are Pervez Khattak, chief secretary, provincial secretaries of finance, law and parliamentary affairs and KP advocate general.

The lawyers' body stated in the petition that the chief minister in his address to the gathering of the PHCBA had announced a special grant of Rs10 million in March 2016. It said the reports about the announcement were carried in the press.