KASUR, June 28: The Kasur district budget for 2007-08 was presented on Thursday amid yet another controversy. An unprecedented situation was seen during the budget session at the district assembly after members of District Nazim Rana Hayat’s group asked Convener Maqsood Sabir to leave the house “because he has been disqualified by the Lahore High Court and his case is now pending with the Supreme Court”.

Hayat is backed by the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy, while Sabir, who is also naib district nazim, belongs to the ruling Pakistan Muslim League.

The district assembly was scheduled to present its budget at 11:00am, but no opposition member turned up till 1:00pm. Later, Hayat reached the assembly with 43 members. Before he could say something, some nazims from Hayat’s group asked Sabir to leave the assembly because he was there “in violation of the law”. Nearly 90 of 161 house members were present for the budget session, but most of them left after rumours that the opposition had boycotted the session. Later, Sabir postponed the session.

Sabir said that he was reinstated in May and added that the house met thrice during the last month with him as convener. He said that whatever he was doing was in accordance with the law. He said that if anybody had any objection regarding his status, he could move the court.

Later, Hayat and his 43 aides held a meeting in the assembly, appointed Chaudhry Muhammad Ali convener and approved the budget, which Sabir dubbed as unconstitutional.

Hayat told the house of 43 nazims and about 100 ‘outsiders’ that he had got the budget approved in the district’s interest. He also formed a 10-member committee to make some alterations in funds for development and non-development projects.

Over the years, the Kasur district has suffered from the tussle between the nazim and the naib nazim because they belong to rival political groups.