QUETTA: The Balochistan High Court has suspended the provincial government’s notification about the Public District Deve­lopment Programme worth Rs5.3 billion.

The court directed the additional chief secretary planning and development, the finance secretary and all deputy commissioners to stop implementation of the programme immediately.

Hearing a constitutional petition, BHC Chief Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhel and Justice Nazeer Ahmed Langove remarked that the programme violated orders of the Supreme Court and ordered the additional chief secretary to appear in person.

The court adjourned the hearing till March 19.

The court asked the additional chief secretary about the contempt of court, saying the apex court had declared block allocations unconstitutional in the Raja Pervez Ashraf, Rahim Ziaratwal and Zamrak Khan Achakzai cases.

The petitioner submitted records of the funds allocated by the chief minister as part of the special development programme. He also presented documents of the funds allocated for various schemes in the current financial year’s development programme of Rs4,339.797 million.

Published in Dawn, March 6th, 2020