HARIPUR, Dec 18: Awami National Party vice-president Mohammad Adeel has accused the MMA provincial government of taking a wrong stand on the issue of net hydel profits. He claimed that by doing so, the NWFP government had deprived the province of a hefty amount of Rs7 trillion the centre owed to it.

He was talking to party workers and lawyers at the residence of district ANP president Fayaz Hussain here on Sunday evening. He was accompanied by party information secretary Zahid Khan.

He observed that the matter could have been resolved in the parliament but the MMA government had approached the court and agreed in writing that it would accept whatever decision the court made.

He said the provincial government could not challenge the decision now. If Wapda did not pay the province Rs22 it was suppose to do by Dec 22, the provincial government could only challenge in a civil court the default by Wapda but not the tribunal decision.

The ANP leader criticised the federal government for allegedly usurping the rights of the province while safeguarding the interests of Punjab. Construction of the Akhori dam was a conspiracy to deprive the NWFP of 14,000MAF of water, which would ruin agriculture in the province.

He claimed that Punjab was utilising the NWFP’s share of water. The MMA had strengthened what he called the illegitimate rule of Gen Pervez Musharraf by agreeing to the 17th constitutional amendment, he added.

Earlier, a group of Haripur-based lawyers led by Aziz Ahmad Khan, announced joining the ANP.