PHC stays uplift projects, seeks govt’s response
Granting stay order in response to plea challenging allocation of funds for various development programs in multiple districts under District Development Initiative Program Tuesday Peshawar High Court (PHC) sought a detailed response from the provincial government.
A Divisional Bench comprising Justice Fazal Subhan and Justice Farah Jamshed issued the order after a brief hearing of petitioners counsel in the matter as Members Provincial Assembly (MPAs) Nisar Baz, Tariq Awan, and Arbab Waseem have invoked the jurisdiction of the PHC for remedy through counsel Advocate Sultan Muhammad Khan.
During the hearing, the counsel apprised the bench saying his clients were elected MPAs belonging to the opposition and were being deliberately ignored in the distribution of development funds by the provincial government.
He argued the government was discriminating against opposition constituencies, particularly in districts such as Bajaur, by allocating funds unfairly. This, he contended, amounted to discrimination not only against the opposition lawmakers but also against their constituents.
The counsel further submitted the government had already released funds under the DDI scheme, which fell under the umbrella scheme of development projects. Despite issuing tenders for the initiative, the government had excluded opposition lawmakers from the process.The petitioners urged the court to issue a stay order on the DDI scheme, arguing that the “discriminatory” allocation of funds violated the principles of fair governance.
It is pertinent to mention that the ANP leader and MPA from Bajaur, Nisar Baz, alleged the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government of allocating development funds to unelected individuals in his constituency instead of elected representatives.
