Opposition tables no-confidence motion

Mansehra District Council

MANSEHRA: Opposition parties in the district government have tabled no-confidence motion against district nazim and naib nazim following secretary local government Khyber Pakhtunkhwa gave his opinion that budget presented in council on December 21 was not in fact approved.

The councillors from both Pakistan People’s Party and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf submitted no-confidence motion singed by 35 councillors with secretary local government Mohammad Arshad.

Both the parties also pleaded the secretary and district naib nazim to call session within seven days to put forward no-confidence motion against district nazim and naib nazim.

A group of district councillors led by PPP district president Malik Farooq and Shahid Rafique submitted the no-confidence motion.

“The district nazim and naib nazim failed to get approved the budget while under section 35(2) of Local government, both are liable to be removed if they fail to secure vote of confidence,” Farooq told reporters after submitting the no-confidence motion.

He said that now the district naib nazim was bound to summon a meeting of the council within seven days for voting over their motion.

Farooq said that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz had formed the district government after stealing the mandate of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and PPP and it was why they failed to get approved the budget from the council.

“According to LG Act, the district government needed at least 45 votes in the council of 88 councillors but they could get only 43 and as a result the budget couldn’t be passed and now both nazim and naib nazim are facing no-confidence motion,” said Farooq.

Sources in the district administration said that the secretary local government had given his expert option, sought by the deputy commissioner earlier this month, saying that the budget was not passed as there was lack of adequate votes of district councillors.

Said Ghulam, the district nazim Mansehra, when contacted, said that as the budget was passed, there was no justification of no-confidence motion against him and the naib nazim.

“The opposition should first establish that budget has not been passed, and then they should move their no-confidence motion,” said Said Ghulam.

He said the opposition should stop creating hurdles in development of the district and they should wait until six months of installation of the district government to move no-confidence motion under LG Act 2013.