PESHAWAR: The opposition parties on Tuesday came down heavily on the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf-led government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for allocating the lion’s share of the next Annual Development Programme for only three districts of the province.

Initiating general discussion on the budget for fiscal year 2014-15 in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, the opposition members said major chunk of the ADP had gone to Nowshera, Dir and Swabi, home districts of Chief Minister Pervez Khattak, senior minister Sirajul Haq and Speaker of the assembly Asad Qaisar respectively.

Opposition leader Maulana Lutfur Rehman, who is the parliamentary leader of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl, opened the discussion.

However, Syed Jafar Shah of Awami National Party stole the show by ‘exposing the slogan of economic justice’ of the ruling coalition.

Quoting figures from the budget documents, Jafar Shah said Rs11 billion had been allocated for Nowshera, Rs6.42 billion for Lower Dir and Rs2.5 billion for Swabi in the ADP.

“Realistically speaking, the PTI-led government has presented the annual budget for three districts only, while the remaining 22 districts have been ignored,” he said amid slogans of ‘shame, shame’ from the opposition benches.

The MPA said Kalam in Swat district, where floods had washed away all roads and other infrastructure, had been given Rs10 million only in the next ADP.

Referring to the budget documents, he identified 110 schemes in the outgoing ADP in different sectors, where utilisation of funds was zero per cent showing apathy of the government.

“It would have been a big change if the government had not announced the budget,” he said.

Jafar Shah said there was no budgetary allocations for conflict-hit Hangu district during the Govt under fire for giving lion’s share of ADP to three districts next fiscal, while underdeveloped Battagram district had got Rs70 million only in the ADP.

“Ironically, Rs1.753 billion has been allocated for roads and Rs4.12 billion for water and sanitation in Nowshera. Besides, establishment of medical college, home economics college and other schemes have also been included in the new ADP for the district,” he said.

Opposition leader Maulana Lutfur Rehman blasted the government for ignoring southern districts in the budget and said the time had come to create a separate province for such parts of the province.

He said economic injustice had created sense of deprivation among people of southern districts.

The opposition leader also complained about absence of targets in the budget to increase revenue, human development and proper utilisation of natural resources.

He proposed that the government prepare a three-year plan for economic turnaround of the province.

Maulana Lutfur Rehman said there was Rs12 billion shortfall in the budget but the government had tried to hide it in the budget documents.

He said a large amount of money allocated in the current ADP had lapsed for fear of corruption.

The opposition leader said the opposition was ready to cooperate with the government for safeguarding rights of the province.

He suggested that the government include canal uplift scheme meant to irrigate 1.6 million acres barren land of Dera Ismail Khan district in the budget.

Maulana Lutfur Rehman said the government had yet to plan utilisation of water stored in Gomal dam.

He said education emergency was declared in the province last year but not a single primary or middle school had been built since.

The opposition leader said the introduction of uniform education system was a far cry.

He termed the allocation of Rs500 million for the chief minister’s endowment fund peanuts and demanded Rs1 billion for it.

Maulana Lutfur Rehman said Rs1 billion had been allocated for universities in the budget, which was insufficient as many universities faced budgetary deficit.

He said many varsities had opened campuses in rented buildings.

Pakistan People’s Party parliamentary leader Mohammad Ali Shah Bacha opposed the imposition of taxes on private educational institutions and health facilities and said it would adversely affect the common man as the private sector would increase fees.

He said the finance minister in his budget speech had termed agriculture backbone of the economy as 70 per cent population of the province depended on farming, but the vital sector had been ignored.

The PPP leader suggested that the government focus on sugarcane and tobacco development and should allocate more funds for tunnel farming.

He said the province should reduce dependence on foreign aid and assistance.

Sultan Khan of Qaumi Watan Party said the budgetary allocations for education had gone up by 3.4 per cent only, while environment and tourism sectors had been ignored in the budget.

Published in Dawn, June 18th, 2014