May 18, 2008	Sunday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 12, 1429

SWABI, May 17: The district council on Saturday passed a revised budget of more than Rs1.45 billion for 2007-08 amid a walkout by the opposition members belonging to Awami National Party (ANP).

Led by Mohammad Ishfaq, the opposition members alleged that only district nazim Shahram Khan Tarakai had dominated the financial affairs of the district and the members of his group got the lion’s share in budgetary allocation, while the opposition was ignored. This practice continued since 2005 and now the time had come to reverse his wrong acts, they added.“His two uncles, Usman Khan Tarakai MNA and Javid Khan Tarakai MPA, won the election with public money. We appealed to the provincial local bodies’ commission to take notice of this issue. We have also moved an application in this connection,” Mr Ishfaq told Dawn while referring to the alleged bungling in the financial affairs of the district government by the nazim.

“He used all the district government machinery during the election of his uncles, but nobody was interested to hear us when we raised objections. We want the accountability of the district nazim and all those who devoured the public money.”

He further alleged that in the distribution of the Baitul Mal funds, the opposition was ignored and only those members received funds who toed the district nazim’s line.

The opposition members announced that in the upcoming annual budget they would continue the boycott strategy.

Talking to this correspondent, district nazim Mr Tarakai termed the walkout of the district council session by the opposition members as a mockery.

Rejecting the allegations leveled against him by the opposition members, the district nazim claimed that the public money was spent on welfare of the people. He asked the opposition not to make hue and cry and avoid indulging in baseless allegations. “Let us work collectively to make Swabi a prosperous region,” he urged.

“We upheld the law and worked according to the wishes of the people,” he claimed.

Mr Tarakai also took the credit for introducing Baitul Mal in the district and helping the needy and the deserving people.