RAWALPINDI: Citizens in the constituencies from where the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) won provincial and national assembly seats in the 2013 elections feel discriminated against in the allocation of development funds by the provincial government.

Like last year, this time too, the Punjab government has asked its eight members of the provincial assembly from the Rawalpindi district to submit their development schemes worth Rs10 million each, so that funds could be released to the city district government.

However, the downtown areas have been neglected as all the MPA elected from there belonged to the PTI.

There are 14 members of the provincial assembly from Rawalpindi district and six of them belonged to the PTI.

The PTI members are: Saddique Khan, PP-7 (Taxila), Malik Taimoor Masood, PP-8 (Wah Cantonment), Asif Mehmood, PP-9 (Rawalpindi Cantonment), Rashid Hafeez, PP-11 (Khyaban-i-Sir Syed, Pirwadhai and adjoining areas), Ijaz Khan Jazi, PP-12 (Dhoke Ratta, Raja Bazaar, Mohanpura), and Arif Abbasi, PP-13 (Dhoke Khaba, Glass Factory, Muslim Town etc.)


Punjab govt asks eight PML-N MPAs to submit development schemes


The PML-N members are: Raja Ashfaq Sarwar PP-1 (Murree), Raja Mohammad Ali, PP-2 (Kahuta), Iftikhar Warsi PP-3 (Gujar Khan), Raja Shaukat Aziz Bhatti, PP-4 (Gujar Khan), Engineer Qamarul Islam, PP-5 (Kallar Syedan), Sarfraz Afzal, PP-6 (Chaklala), Malik Iftikhar Ahmed, PP-10 (Peshawar Road), and Raja Hanif Advocate, PP-14 (Shamsabad).

A senior official of the city government told Dawn that the provincial government had directed the city district government to prepare development schemes for the areas from where the PML-N candidates had won the elections.

He said the government allocated Rs80 million for eight MPAs under the annual development programme. However, on the directions of the chief minister more funds were provided to the MPAs.

“Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan got more than Rs1 billion for special projects, including Rs592 million for water supply in Kotha Kallan. Raja Mohammad Ali, son of PML-N leader Raja Zafarul Haq, from Kahuta managed to get Rs50 million.”

He said provincial minister for labour Raja Ashfaq Sarwar got Rs200 million projects sanctioned for the Murree tehsil.

But the inner city areas, including Raja Bazaar, Murree Road and Dhoke Khaba, received no funds in the current fiscal year.

“The government says there is a shortage of funds due to the launching of the metro bus project worth Rs44.21 billion. Moreover, funds were also diverted towards the rehabilitation of the flood-affected areas,” he said.

MPA Ijaz Khan Jazi of the PTI told Dawn that the government was taking revenge on the residents for not electing the PML-N candidates in the 2013 elections.

“For the last over one year, the government failed to launch development schemes in the area. People in the town feel discriminated against,” he said.

PTI MPA from Taxila Saddique Khan said his constituency was also being neglected.

“Chaudhry Nisar, who was defeated by me and my brother in the national and provincial assembly elections, is running the affairs of Taxila and does not allow the administration to carry out development work in the areas dominated by the PTI workers and supporters,” he said.

PML-N former MNA from Raja Bazaar Malik Shakil Awan said the government had started Rs44.21 billion worth of projects in the city.

He said this year funds were provided for the development of neglected areas and the city areas would get funds next year.

“It is a tradition that members of the treasury benches get more funds compared to the opposition parties,” he said.

However, MNA Malik Abrar said the government was considering providing some funds to the constituencies of the opposition parties but the projects would be launched by the local administration.

When contacted, District Coordination Officer (DCO) Sajid Zafar Dall told dawn that funds were provided under the annual development programme for the members of provincial assemblies.

He said last year the members also got development funds.

Published in Dawn, November 19th , 2014

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