ISLAMABAD: On the directive of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the government has approved development schemes estimated to have a total cost of Rs1.15 billion for Mansehra, the constituency of his son-in-law retired Capt Mohammad Safdar.

A document of the housing ministry shows that development schemes in the constituency of Mr Safdar have been approved by the ministry of planning and development and the Central Development Working Party (CDWP).

The projects relate to construction of roads, bridges and water supply schemes. Of the Rs1.15bn, Rs425 million has been allocated for water supply schemes, Rs384m for roads and Rs349m for bridges.

Government functionaries have repeatedly said at public forums and before the Supreme Court that discretionary powers of the prime minister to allocate development funds to parliamentarians no longer exist.

The government has claimed more than once that it has discontinued the previous government’s practice of giving funds to parliamentarians under the Peoples Works Programme.

An official of the Pakistan Public Works Department (Pak PWD) told Dawn that the Planning Commission had directed his department to execute development schemes in Mansehra.

He said the government had approved development schemes (or funds) for some other parliamentarians, but they were smaller than the schemes sanctioned for the constituency of Mr Safdar. “Funds for the schemes approved for constituencies of other parliamentarians run into a few millions and not into billions,” he said.

A letter of the commission reads: “Pak-PWD is requested to implement the projects in accordance with the guidelines and decision of the CDWP and after completion of all codal and Public Procurement Regulatory Authority formalities. Moreover, technical sanction to cost estimates may be accorded at rationalised rates after detailed surveys at sites and preparation of contour plans.”

Talking to Dawn, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) legislator Arif Alvi alleged that the government was releasing development funds on a discretionary basis for political purposes.

Referring to the funds allocated for Mansehra, he said it seemed that the prime minister had used his discretionary powers to make an allocation in excess of Rs 1 billion. “Under the law, a member of the National Assembly is given funds not exceeding Rs20 million for his/her constituency,” the PTI leader said.

This year, Mr Alvi added, the government was providing development funds to parliamentarians under the Millennium Development Goals, but it was also distributing funds on political grounds.

“The government did not release development funds for MNAs during the first two years of its term, but this year Rs20m has been released for each MNA from Sindh,” he said.

He recalled that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had announced a Rs2.5 billion package for Lodhran shortly before a by-election in PTI leader Jahangir Tareen’s constituency there. “We have been raising this issue in the parliament, but nobody is listening.”

Pakistan Peoples Party Senator Farhatullah Babar also complained that the grant of development funds had been “politicised”.

Published in Dawn, June 23rd, 2016