September 29, 2003	Monday	Sha’aban 2, 1424

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ISLAMABAD, Sept 28: Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali and a number of his cabinet ministers have not yet received their share of development funds from the Tameer-i-Watan Programme under which Rs5 million were allotted to each of the 342 members of the National Assembly.

According to a periodic report prepared by the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, the government had allocated these development funds to all members of the National Assembly regardless of their political affiliation and asked them to submit their development schemes. The schemes were subsequently processed and some of them approved.

Of the total allocation of Rs1.74 billion an amount of Rs846.53 million was released by the end of fiscal year 2002-03 and another Rs892.04 million up to Aug 2003.

According to the report, 120 of the 342 MNAs were not released their development funds though most of them have their schemes approved. The number includes 40 out of the 118 PML-Q MNAs, 25 out of 62 PPP (Parliamentarians) MNAs, 19 out of 60 MMA members of NA, eight out 17 PML-N MNAs, two out of 18 MMA MNAs, two out of 17 PPPP(Patriots) and one lonely MNA from the MQM-Haqeeqi

Interestingly, the Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Abdus Sattar Laleka, also falls in the category of members who have not been released the development funds. Six more federal ministers have not received development funds for their constituencies.

They Are: Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri, Defence Minister Rao Sikandar Iqbal, interior minister Makhdoom Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat, communication minister Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari, the Mini-ster for Water and Power Development Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao and education minister Zobaida Jalal.

Other important political leaders who have not received the funds were: former president and the president of Millat Party, now part of the National Alliance, Sardar Farooq Ahmad Khan Leghari, JUI Secretary-General and his deputy Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Hafiz Husain Ahmad, PML-N acting president Makhdoom Javed Hashmi and his wife Maimoona Hashmi, Chaudhry Nisar Ali and Raja Nadir Pervez, former PML-J president Hamid Nasir Chatha, PPPP’s Naheed Khan and the chairman of the National Reconstruction Bureau Danyal Aziz.

The list also includes PKMAP president Mahmood Khan Achakzai, JWP’s Khuda-i- Noor and Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s Kanwar Khalid Yunus.

The PML-Q MNAs were released Rs260.95 million for their 550 schemes up to June 30. On the contrary, the MMA’s legislators submitted as many as 888 schemes but were allocated an amount of Rs170.82 million over the same period of time.

The Tameer-i-Pakistan Programme was launched to execute schemes for the construction of roads, supply of electricity and gas and telephone connections. The funds were promised to be non- lapsable and schemes to be carried forward in the next year. It was also decided that all schemes would be approved as a whole and cent per cent funds for them would be released to the executing department.

Important leaders who have been released the funds include Speaker Chaudhry Amir Husain, who has so far utilized the entire amount of Rs5 million for the development of his constituency (Sialkot). Qazi Husain Ahmad, Makhdoom Amin Faheem, Chaudhry Shujaat Husain, Allama Tahirul Qadri, Omar Ayub and his mother Zeb Gohar Ayub, federal minister and MQM leader Syed Safwanullah and Tehrik-i-Insaaf chief Imran Khan have also received their development funds.

It may be interesting to note that PML-Q’s Malik Amin Aslam from Attock (NA-57), has submitted the highest number of 115 schemes. He is followed by 106 by MMA’s Maulana Mohammad Inayatur Rehman from Malakand (NA-35), 84 by PML-Q’s Shahid Jamil Qureshi from Muzaffargrh (NA-178) and 74 by the same party’s Brig Zulfiquar Ali Dhillon (rtd) from Sheikhupura (NA-131). Chaudhry Danyal Aziz submitted 55 and Faisal Saleh Hayat 47 schemes without getting allocations.

Farooq Leghari, Aftab Sherpao, Kanwar Khalid Yunus and Javed Hashmi submitted one scheme each. Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri sent three and Rao Sikandar Iqbal, Hamid Nasir Chatha and Zobaida Jalal five schemes each.