November 10, 2007	Saturday	Shawwal 28, 1428

MUZAFFARGARH, Nov 9: Two provincial ministers arrived here on Friday to woo “dissident” union council (UC) nazims with promises of lot of funds. Seventeen UC nazims met on Thursday and decided to support the district nazim in the budget session to be held on Nov 10. The breakaway group panicked the ruling Pakistan Muslim League cadre and forced the authorities in Lahore to send the ministers to Muzaffargarh to save the ruling party from defeat. The ministers’ activism drew criticism from the district nazim group, which said it was tantamount to contempt of court because the Lahore High Court (LHC), Multan bench, had ordered the district coordination officer to go on leave two days ahead of the session so that he could not influence the UC nazims in favour of the government.

District Nazim Sardar Qayyum Jatoi belongs to the Pakistan People’s Party, who alleges that the Punjab government blocked funds for the district after he refused to join the ruling party.

Sources said two ministers – Chaudhry Zaheeruddin and Rana Qasim Noon — met the 17 nazims at Tulheery Rest House and persuade them to rejoin the PML. The dissidents say that the Punjab government allocated Rs2 million to each union council, that was too little because development schemes in the district could not be carried out in the last two years. In the Nov 10 session, one budget will be presented by the district nazim and if the house rejects it, another budget prepared by the government will be put up for approval. The district nazim’s group says they have allocated Rs10 million to each UC in the budget, irrespective of political nazims’ political affiliation. But the governmental budget allows Rs2 million development schemes to each UC nazim.

Sources said the ministers said that more funds would be given to all PMLQ nazims if the government’s budget was approved by the house. PML sources said the nazims had promised to back the government in the session.

Three months ago, the Punjab government sent a Local Government commission to Muzaffargarh, which reported to the Local Government secretary that the district nazim had lost the confidence of a majority of UC nazims.

Later, a team set up by the DCO and the local government approved Rs2 million for each union council.

At this, the district nazim moved the LHC, Multan bench, and the court told the DCO and government to stop releasing funds and hold a budget session on Nov 10.

The district and sessions court judge of Multan will preside over the session.