PHC orders Haripur DC to release funds for uplift schemes

PML-N MPA’s petition

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Wednesday directed deputy commissioner Haripur to release funds for development schemes of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Member Provincial Assembly (MPA) Raja Faisal Zaman.

A single bench headed by Justice Younas Thaheem issued the directives in a writ petition filed by MPA Raja Faisal Zaman through his lawyers Khalid Rehman Qureshi and Waqas Shah. The bench also issued notice to deputy commissioner Haripur to submit reply and explain as to why funds were not released for development schemes of the MPA. The court was informed that the provincial government had released funds for MPAs developmental schemes in Haripur district.

The lawyers pointed out that Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had also approved and released funds for development schemes of the petitioner’s constituency. They further said that the chief minister had also released discretionary funds for the district at a meeting held on December 9, 2016.

However, they claimed that the DC had only released funds to three members of provincial assembly and did not release fund to the PML-N MPA, due to unknown reasons. Despite the clear direction of the KP chief minister, they said, the DC was not releasing funds for development schemes of the MPA.

Additional Advocate General (AAG), Qaiser Ali Shah informed the bench that he had contacted the DC office through telephone and the officials concerned said that the funds for the MPA’s constituency would also be released soon.