Daily Times

PESHAWAR: The political maneuvering among the opposition benches of District Council has gained momentum to discuss various legal options to declare Peshawar budget null and void.

The opposition benches of the Peshawar District Council decided to knock the door of the Peshawar High Court against the discriminatory and unlawful distribution of annual developmental budget.

It is to be mentioned here that Peshawar District Council on Friday approved the Rs 10.66 billion budget of the city district government for the financial year 2016-17. But opposition benches strongly rejected the budget on the ground of discretionary allocation for Nazim, Naib Nazim and violation of local government rules of business.

Speaking to Daily Times senior most member from the opposition slot and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader in the council Malik Firdos Khan said that the ruling benches of the council have passed the budget in the absence of designated government officials of the council. He said it is mandatory for the council to pass the budget in the presence of council official including finance department of the council and deputy commissioner of the district.

Malik Firdos said that legally the budget has proved null and void and opposition will submit petition in this regard at Peshawar High Court on Monday. He said that more than 500 million have been reserved for the slot of Nazim and Naib Nazim and nothing has been given to opposition members for the development projects.

He said that the proposal of the developmental projects indicates that Nazim was not intended to launch any mega project in the district like its predecessors in the ruling benches at provincial assembly.

“Allocation on the name of discretionary budget for Nazim and Naib Nazim has been made in the budget to overhaul the party position in the district and spent in that union council where it’s party voted in the election” Malik added. He said that the budget is politically biased and marginalized section of the society has been ignored and opposition mandate was victimized.

He said that opposition has joined hands and committees have been established to pursue the case in the court and contact media and civil society against the discrimination of the ruling benches.

ANP leader in the council Safdar Baghi who had torn apart his shirt in the council session subject to discriminatory budget and over non allocation of funds to Zuhra Hospital in Nothis Jaded Council, said that people have given mandate to representatives of the council for the development and if the ruling benches do not allocate funds to opposition than the purpose of the local body election spoils.

He said that District Nazim and Naib Nazim should have passed the budget with proper consultation of opposition bench and said that protest was the right of the every individual for their rights.

Opposition leader Advocate Syed Muhammad Zahir said that PTI Chairman had recently put aside the practice of discretionary funds in the provincial assembly and districts councils but district Peshawar Nazim Asim Khan had violated its own party rules. He said that allocation of such a huge amount in term of discretionary funds raises several questions on the credibility of Nazim and his fare utilization for the development funds.

Member from the opposition benches Alam Zaib Khan said that government official had declared the budget imbalance and discriminatory.

Alam Zaib said that both ruling and opposition benches should have concentrate on the developmental projects in the domain of rules of business for local government.