SIALKOT, June 25: Sialkot district naib nazim Chaudhry Arsal Waqar Ghuman on Saturday successfully managed proceedings of the district assembly’s budget session as treasury and opposition members fully supported him. Later talking to reporters at Anwar Club auditorium, Mr Ghuman said that his return to the district assembly was a proof that the ruling party had illegally adopted a no-confidence motion against him.

“My political differences with district nazim Mian Naeem Javaid were still going on”, he said.

“Today was the budget session, therefore, I decided to preside over it as it was my constitutional right and all ruling and opposition members warmly welcomed me”, he said.

Meanwhile, district nazim Mian Naeem Javaid told reporters that the naib nazim was allowed to chair the budget session after he had tendered his written apology to the district government.

Mr Javaid claimed that the district assembly had forgiven naib nazim Chaudhry Arsal Ghuman.

Punjab Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi had taken a serious notice of the May 4 uproar in the Sialkot district assembly’s session which had resulted in political differences between district nazim Mian Naeem Javaid and naib nazim Chaudhry Arsal Waqar Ghuman.

Meanwhil, the Sialkot District Council on Saturday approved its Rs4.274 billion tax-free budget for the fiscal year 2005-06.

Convener Chaudhry Arsal Waqar Ghuman presided over the budget session. While the opposition led by Qamar Abbas Chand boycotted the budget session.

Delivering his budget speech, District Nazim Mian Naeem Javaid told the House that it was a ‘people-friendly’ budget. He said the total expenditures had been estimated at Rs2.473 billion.

He said that Rs1.201 billion had been allocated for the development projects, which came to 33 per cent of the total budget.

The volume of the present budget, he said, was Rs803 million more than that of the last year’s financial budget.

Mian Javaid said that Rs1.700 billion would be spent on education, Rs332.5 million on health, Rs134 million on communication, Rs35.1 million on agriculture and Rs1.2 million on tree plantation.

In addition, he said that Rs137 million had been earmarked for the completion of various farm to market roads in the Sialkot district.

At least 15 per cent enhancement had been made in the purchase of medicines while Rs80 million had been set aside for the repair of roads in the district.