July 29, 2003	Tuesday	Jumadi-ul-Awwal 28, 1424

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MANSEHRA, July 28: The District Nazim of Kohistan, Maulana Obaidullah, has alleged that the Local Government Commission (LGC) in NWFP is being used as a tool to destabilise the devolution of power plan by the Muttahidda Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) government and its officials are acting as the workers of the component parties of the MMA.

Talking to newsmen here on Monday, he said the report of the LGC on the affairs of the district council was politically-motivated, unfounded and baseless which included only the partial view of the LGC members and the allegations levelled against him by his political opponents.

He said during the course of enquiry, the attitude of the LGC members was quite partial and they did not ask for any clarification from him in his capacity as the district nazim.

“The boarding and lodging was provided to members of the LGC by my political opponents and they even did not bother to meet me in Kohistan and everything was done in my absence,” he added.

Maulana Obaidullah said that the copy of the enquiry report was not furnished to him despite his written request to the NWFP chief minister.

He said that the copy of the enquiry report was provided to him after the interference by the Governor House, which included allegations based only on surmises and the disinformation spread by his political opponents. He came hard on NWFP Minister for Local Government Sardar Mohammad Idrees.

He said that Sardar Mohammad Idrees was working on the agenda of conspiring against the devolution of power plan and to make the new system of district government a failure on the advice of the NWFP chief minister.

SCAM: A probe has been initiated into the distribution of millions of rupees of Zakat fund during the last two years by local Zakat committees of Mansehra district, it is reliably learnt.

Sources informed that investigations were being carried out against a number of chairmen of the local Zakat committees for the alleged misappropriation of huge amount released for the poor and needy people.

It is alleged that nepotism and favouritism besides political affiliations were taken into consideration in the distribution of Zakat fund and most of the deserving people registered with the committees were deprived of receiving the fund.