SWABI, May 21: The opposition in the district council said on Sunday that they would stay away from the council meetings if their demand for equal distribution of Rs100 million development funds was not accepted.

The money was provided to the district pursuant to President Musharraf’s promise, during his visit in January this year, to provide special development funds to the district.

Opposition leader Ashfaq Khan told Dawn that a Rs1.062 billion budget for the 2006-07 fiscal had been passed by the council in their absence, yet their protest would continue.

He said the opposition had demanded equal distribution of funds among members of the council but Nazim Shahram Khan allocated a big chunk of the money for his supporters and ignored the opposition.

“I fear that the money will not be properly utilised. The best option for the district government is to build a school for children of poor people or a factory where people can get jobs to earn their livelihood with dignity and honour,” he added.

Mr Ashfaq said that the nazim was violating the Local Government Ordinance and he (Ashfaq) had written letters to the provincial minister for local bodies, district coordination officer and President Musharraf in this connection.

When contacted, Nazim Shahram Khan and his supporters said that a district nazim enjoyed discretionary powers in respect of allocation of funds.