MARDAN, Aug 23: The district council at a session held on Thursday demanded that the Khushhal Pakistan Fund and tobacco and sugarcane cess funds should be used through councillors, instead of unelected people.

Speaking at the session, District Nazim Himayatullah Mayar said the federal government had allocated a development fund of Rs50 million for every district in the province. But, he regretted, the fund would be spent through unelected people and the National Rural Support Programme, which was not acceptable.

The nazim urged the government to change its policy regarding the tobacco and sugarcane cess funds. He accused the federal government of ignoring the district council which amounted to humiliation of elected representatives and was injustice with the district.

Hamayun Khilji, Suhail Bacha, Saadullah Mehmend, Ayub Takkar, Falaknaz Khan, Maulana Ziaullah Jan, Mashal Khan, Attaullah Khan, Ghulam Bacha, Mehran Gul Mehmand, Qazi Bashir and Sikandar Hayat Khan also spoke on the occasion.

They criticised the bypassing of the district government in utilising funds and vowed to move the court on the issue.

Nazims Mehmand Khan, Syedul Wahab and Jalilul Mulk, however, said that if the funds were planned to use on development projects in the district then members of the council should not oppose it.

Convener Ibrahim Biland presided over the session of the council.