MANSEHRA: The Mansehra district council on Monday unanimously rejected the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government’s decision to give 25 per cent of the district’s total share in the Provincial Finance Commission Award funds to the local government.

By passing a resolution, the council, which met here with convener Ghulam Murtaza Tanoli in the chair, demanded that all the funds in question be given to it in line with the Local Government Act 2013.

The councillors of the PML-N, PTI, PPP, Jamaat-i-Islami, JUI-F and Qaumi Watan Party favoured the resolution by raising hands.

Under the government’s recent decision, only 25 percent of the PFC Award money will be spent through the respective district council. The rest will go to education, healthcare, women, agriculture, water and irrigation and relevant departments through the planning and development department.

Passes resolution against provision of 25pc of district share in PFC Award to local govt

The councillors also criticised the federal government over the excessive and unscheduled loadshedding in Mansehra and warned if the power outages lasting 14 hours daily didn’t end, they would lead demonstrations in their respective areas.

They said if heads of the devolved departments didn’t ensure presence in the council sessions, entry of their subordinates to the premises would be banned.

Nazim Sardar Said Ghulam, who belongs to the PML-N, criticised political parties for not giving due rights to local governments in the country.

“The political parties ruling the centre or provinces are not sincere about the strengthening of the local government system. They held elections on the orders of the Supreme Court but are denying powers to local bodies,” he said.

The nazim said if local governments didn’t get rights, they should be wrapped up.

“The Supreme Court should step in to ensure empowerment of local bodies,” he said.

The nazim said his district had gotten Rs420 million from its share in the PFC Award funds but the provincial government diverted the money to the planning and development division for disbursement to the devolved departments.

“We (district government) will get only 25 per cent for the development of all 59 union councils in the district. The government’s move shows it doesn’t want the LG system to flourish in the province,” he said.

Councillors Malik Farooq, Shahid Rafiq, Malik Naveed and Mohammad Ilyas said the education department in the district was in mess with teachers getting salary without doing duty.

Mr. Farooq said the nazim was disgraced by own party, the PML-N, by not allowing to welcome and present the charter of demands in the public meeting addressed by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in Mansehra lately.

PTI councillors Aslam Khan Baffa and Mushtaq Khan submitted separate applications to the convener for terminating their affiliations with the party.

They said they wanted to sit in the council as independent members.

Published in Dawn, May 3rd, 2016