By Ashrafuddin Pirzada
LANDIKOTAL: Tehsil chairman and Local Government representatives on Friday levelled allegations that Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mehmood Khan utilizing developmental funds for political scoring as Landikotal and Jamrud local bodies were issued a nominal fund to launch developmental projects.
Tehsil Chairman Haji Shah Khalid Shinwari accompanied by councillors Attaullah Afridi, Haji Sher Afridi, Arshad Masih, Haji Khan Shinwari, Naveed Shinwari, Ajmir Shinwari, Muhibullah Shinwari, Yad Wazir, Hayatullah Shinwari and others told a press conference here at Landikotal press club that they had been waiting since March to issue the funds and other facilities to start working in their respective constituencies.
Tehsil Chairman Shah Khalid said that according to planning and development (P&D) rules they must have to issue proper funds and define their responsibilities as elected members of the council. He said 13 departments were brought under the local bodies who would suppose to work along with the elected local bodies members to give relief to the gross root level.
He accused the chief minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mehmood Khan of releasing funds to his party workers for his own political scoring depriving councillors backed by other political parties. He said residents in Jamrud and Landikotal tehsils were facing a water shortage problem but they did have not enough funds to overcome the scarcity of water.
The Tehsil chairman said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government failed to equally deal with the all Local Bodies members as Landikotal and Jamrud tehsils were still waiting to have funds in hands for their respective constituencies. He alleged that Mahmood Khan had also issued funds to an ex-member of the parliament which was a question mark on his government.
“We took oath on March 13, but unfortunately, none of the local body members is yet clear about the roadmap that what he or she will do for their voters and supporters”, Shah Khalid said. He added that the government should take their demands seriously to release funds on the basis of population and need a base formula so that they could address the resident’s demands. The elected councillors said that the irrigation department ignored them in the funds which was an injustice to them.
Shah Khalid Shinwari said he and all his fellow councillors were committed to taking the issue to every floor and they had the option to launch a sit-in camp against the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on her undemocratic and unethical attitude toward the elected members. He said they were also considering starting a movement against the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government if their constitutional demands were not fulfilled.
