PESHAWAR, March 18: The Awami National Party (ANP) has called upon the federal government to order probe into the alleged misappropriation of relief funds earmarked for victims of last year’s devastating earthquake.

Mian Iftikhar Hussain, provincial secretary-general of the ANP, said on Saturday that his party wanted the federal authorities to take punitive action against those who were misusing relief funds and handing them over to undeserving people.

The ANP leader alleged that Minister of State for Water and Power, Amir Muqam, had distributed funds the same among his cronies. Mr Muqam is a co-coordinator of the earthquake relief fund.

Mian Iftikhar urged the minister of state to use “transparent means” to deliver relief funds to the earthquake-hit people of Shangla.

Instead of disbursing relief funds among the needy, he alleged that Mr Muqam was using these funds to advance his own personal and political interests.

He claimed that the funds had been given to people who were not affected by the earthquake. “This injustice has caused agitation and prompted the genuine affectees to hold protests and demonstrations against the minister of state’s action,” Mian Iftikhar said.

The ANP leader condemned the attitude of the minister and his companions and said it was a grave injustice to deprive quake-affected people of such funds.