VEHARI, July 7: Nazims belonging to parties other than the component parties of the PPP-PML-N ruling coalition have bemoaned alleged political victimisation by the provincial government and accused it of interfering in the functioning of local governments by obstructing their budget approval through the district coordination officer (DCO).

Dawn learned that the DCO, through verbal orders, bulldozed the proceedings of budget meetings of Vehari and Mailsi tehsil council in the last week of June. In the wake of this development, the budget meeting of the district council did not take place as per schedule.

Only the Burewala tehsil council was allowed to hold its session and approve the annual budget, ostensibly because the nazim belonged to one component party of the coalition ruling the Punjab province.

DCO Muhammad Khurrum Agha has, however, emphatically denied the allegations.

Sources told Dawn that the move was manifestly meant to compel district and tehsil nazims to join either the PPP or the PML-N and, due to political compulsions, both the parties are following in the footsteps of their predecessor PML-Q regime in an entirely identical fashion.

Though District Nazim Syed Shahid Mehdi Nasim, Vehari Tehsil Nazim Mian Saqib Khurshid and Mailsi Tehsil Nazim Asim Saeed Manais are no more active supporters and followers of the PML-Q, they have neither joined the PPP nor the PML-N yet.

Despite MPA Asif Saeed Manais, the younger brother of Asim Saeed Manais, joined the PML-N after being elected as an independent candidate, his father Saeed Ahmad Manais still holds the slot of PML-Q senior vice-president and remains a staunch opponent of PML-N MNA Tehmina Daultana.Burewala Tehsil Nazim Chaudhry Usman Ahmad Waraich is the brother of PPP MPA Chaudhry Fayyaz Ahmad Waraich. He also enjoys the support of other PPP MPAs, Sardar Khalid Salim Bhatti and Malik Nosher Langrial.

It has been learnt that Syed Shahid Mehdi Nasim, Mian Muhammad Saqib Khurshid and Asim Saeed Manais were orally instructed to incorporate development schemes of parliamentarians (MNAs and MPAs from the district) and nazims (members of the district and tehsil councils) on 50/50 basis in their new budgets.

Earlier, when it was informed that tehsil councils would present budget with block allocations and annual development programmes would be presented in September, both tehsil council were given a green signal to hold their budget meetings. The Mailsi tehsil council’s budget session was summoned for June 28, while Vehari tehsil and district councils were to hold their budget sessions on June 30, respectively.

However, Mailsi tehsil council was conveyed verbal orders instructing it not to present its budget in the June 28 meeting. Similar instructions were communicated to the Vehari tehsil and district councils following which the budget sessions were either cancelled or their proceedings could not be carried out according to their agenda.

The Burewala tehsil council, however, proved to be immune of this ‘victimisation’ as no such instructions were conveyed to it and it and it was simply allowed to hold its budget session on June 30 as per schedule.

Sources said the move to prevent district and tehsil councils from presenting and approving their budgets would certainly add to the financial constraints of the local bodies.

Under the directives of the district government, all district departments drew the one-month salary in advance on June 30 and this dual policy has also given rise to certain apprehensions in the minds of nazims and councillors.

They said that there was no difference between Musharraf-led ‘undemocratic’ regime and the present ‘democratic’ dispensation led by the PPP and PML-N. They emphasised creating the atmosphere of political tolerance in the country, saying that they were elected representatives and the government should not push them to wall.

When contacted, DCO Khurrum Agha denied the allegations of intermeddling with affairs of local governments and termed them “baseless”. He said that he had not barred any of the district or tehsil councils from presenting their budgets. He said the provincial government wanted just and equitable distribution of development funds and he was there to ensure and implement this policy.About Burewala tehsil council, the DCO said that the tehsil nazim had made equitable distribution of funds and, therefore, the budget was presented and subsequently approved. He said that none of his actions were politically motivated.