PESHAWAR, May 22: The future of over Rs7 billion major development programmes that the successive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governments used to influence members of the provincial assembly hangs in the balance, officials said.

Officials involved in preparing the provincial government’s new Annual Development Programme told Dawn on Tuesday that uncertainty loomed large about the inclusion of the Rs5 billion Chief Minister’s Special Initiative Programme and the Rs2.48 billion Tameer-i-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa program in the next financial year’s ADP.

“The fate of the Chief Minister’s Special Initiative Programme and the Tameer-i-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa programme is not clear as the planning and development department authorities are double minded,” said a development planner.

Officials said the planning department was not clear about reflecting the two programmes in the new ADP because of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s stated position against such programmes.

PTI, the largest parliamentary group in the provincial assembly elect and set to lead the next coalition government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, supports elimination of ‘all discretionary funds’ and promises ‘no development funds for parliamentarians.’

“If you ask me, this would be the biggest service to this nation if PTI implements its promise and abolishes discretionary funds and MPAs’ role in development projects,” said an official concerned.

The Chief Minister’s Special Initiatives Programme was introduced in the provincial ADP as an umbrella development programme by the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal government. Later, the Awami National Party-led coalition government continued with it. Before them, the former chief ministers used to issue ‘special instructions’ for carrying out development projects in the areas of their liking. However, the CM programme’s size has recorded a massive growth over the past ten years, going up from Rs2 billion in the first year of its introduction by the MMA government to Rs5 billion in the ongoing financial year in line with the last ANP government’s decision.

“The final expenditure figures are likely to go well beyond the Rs5 billion allocation when the ongoing financial year comes to a close on June 30, 2013,” said an official concerned, adding that the last government made it a point to make excessive use of the CM’s programme.

According to official sources, a single-line budgetary allocation is made for the CM’s special initiatives programme every year in the provincial ADP and the man in the chief minister house (Akram Khan Durrani in the MMA government and Ameer Haider Hoti in the ANP government) used the funds as his sole discretion.

“It was between the CM House and the finance department as the former used to issue CM’s instructions for carrying out development schemes in a particular area and the later was responsible to release the required funds,” said an official.

The last two chief ministers, according to official sources, made excessive use of the special initiatives funds on the development of their home districts, including Bannu and Mardan, respectively.

“Besides, they used the funds to influence MPAs, belonging to the treasury and opposition benches alike in an identical effort to ensure smooth running of the provincial assembly during their stints in power,” said an official.

Under the Tameer-i-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa programme, every MPA gets Rs20 million under the ADP every year to plan, clear, and execute small development works in his/her provincial assembly’s constituency concerned. All members of the last provincial assembly, said an official, ensured that their allotted amount of Rs20 million under the Tameer-i-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was released and utilised before the end of the tenure in March this year.

“The Tameer-i-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa programme and the CM”s special initiatives programme have the highest funds utilisation ratio even though the funds were released in the first nine months of the current fiscal,” said an official.

However, some members of the provincial bureaucracy felt an opportunity was there to get rid of the culture ‘discretionary development funds’ and one-liner development budgets, attaching hopes with the PTI’s election promises.

“We would consider it a real change if the PTI leadership decides to scrap the two programmes or even incorporate changes to make these programmes transparent, putting an end to the culture of favouritism,” said an official.

He, however, said the authorities concerned were in a state of perplexity about the upcoming government’s clear policy towards the two programmes.

A development planner said the planning department was likely to reflect the two programmes in the new ADP, leaving it to decide whether it would want to continue with them or continue them with certain changes.

Officials said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s new ADP would be ready by the time the new set-up came into being and at that time the new government might not have ample time to evolve an ADP of its own liking. “But, the new government can make changes in the ADP if it likes before the presentation of the next financial year’s budget,” said an official.