February 29, 2008	Friday	Safar 21, 1429

VEHARI, Feb 28: Opposition members in the district council boycotted an all-important meeting over the issue of alleged misuse of development funds in NA-167 (Vehari-I) where district nazim’s brother Syed Sajid Shah contested as an independent candidate.

A resolution was presented by PML-N (Punjab) Senior Vice-President Chaudhry Zahid Anwar Wahla, also a district council member, but the treasury benches refused to inquire into the allegation of funds’ misuse. This annoyed the opposition members who boycotted the meeting.

They claimed that the district administration had misused the development funds allocated for various localities in the constituency of Sajid Shah (NA-167) in violation of the rules of the Election Commission of Pakistan. Sajid Shah lost the election.

District Nazim Shahid Mehdi Shah was conspicuous by absence and naib nazim Yousaf Kasalia presided over the meeting. Chaudhry Zahid told Dawn that the district council had earlier passed the resolution against President Pervez Musharaf, demanding that he should resign from the country’s highest office. He said the opposition would present a no-confidence move against the nazim soon.

Meanwhile, it is learnt that the district nazim is trying to join the PML-N in near future – something the naib nazim denied.