MANSEHRA, March 21: A Peshawar High Court’s divisional bench, Abbottabad, on Thursday admitted for regular hearing a writ petition against the Mansehra district government.

The petition, filed by Itchrian Union Council Nazim Syed Sharif Shah, has named Mansehra district Nazim Mohammad Azam Khan Swati, Naib Nazim Shahzada Gustasap Khan, the district coordination officer and the NWFP local government secretary, as respondents.

The bench, comprising Justice Shahjehan Khan and Justice Shahzad Akbar Khan, directed the respondents to file their written statements in the court on the next date of hearing.

Mohammad Muzaffar Khan Swati, advocate of the high court, appeared on behalf of the petitioner.

The petitioner has complained in his writ petition that the district Nazim and the Naib Nazim are running the business of the district government by ignoring the majority of the Nazims of the union councils.

He says the Nazim got the annual development programme (ADP) prepared through “some private quarters” and did not take the majority of the Nazims into confidence.

The petition observes that ignoring the Nazims in preparing the ADP and other developmental schemes is contrary to the basic spirit of the devolution of power plan, which ensures the maximum participation in the decision-making process.

The petitioner, through another application, has prayed to the court to stop work on the developmental schemes and to freeze the funds of the district government till the disposal of the writ petition.