PESHAWAR, Oct 31: The Peshawar High Court on Wednesday disposed of two identical writ petitions filed by five former MPAs challenging the ‘unjust’ distribution of funds by the ex-chief minister and directed the caretaker government to look into their grievances on merit.

A two-member bench comprising Justice Tallat Qayyum Qureshi and Justice Saleem Khan observed that after dissolution of the NWFP assembly the status of the petitioners had changed and they had no locus standi now to challenge the impugned act.

One petition was filed by former deputy speaker Ikramullah Shahid and MPAs Pir Muhammad, Zar Gul and Saeed Khan. The other petition was filed by MPA Israrullah Khan Gandapur. Advocate Abdul Aziz Kundi appeared for Mr Gandapur whereas Barrister Masood Kausar represented the other petitioners.

The petitioners alleged that the then chief minister Akram Khan Durrani had unjustly distributed funds to the tune of Rs1,240 million under the Tameer-i-Sarhad Programme and Rs1 billion under a special package.

Mr Kundi said that the former MPAs had the right to challenge unjust distribution of funds. He pointed out that some of the constituencies had been given preference whereas the petitioners had been completely ignored.

Barrister Masood Kausar said that although the petitioners were no longer MPAs, yet the court could issue directives to the new set-up to look into the issue.

The bench disposed of the petitions with a directive to the caretaker set-up to decide the matter on merit.

The petitioners said that a development programme titled Tameer-i-Sarhad Programme (TSP) was introduced and Rs1,240 million earmarked for the purpose.

Likewise, they said, Rs1 billion development funds allocated under the Special Package were also supposed to be distributed among all the elected members.

They said that under the TSP the favourites of the chief minister had been given as much as Rs30 million. Some of the members had been allocated funds to the tune of Rs10 million each, whereas the petitioners were totally denied any funds.

The petitioners pointed out that the government had declared establishment of a public school in Swabi by the name of then education minister Fazle Ali and an amount of Rs175 million had been allocated for the purpose.

Similarly, they said, am amount of Rs 80 million had been allocated for the Sirajul Haq (former senior minister) Public School in Lower Dir district, Rs202.12 million for the Mufti Mahmood Public School at D.I. Khan and Rs35 million for Qazi Public School in Nowshera.

The petitioners claimed that the then chief minister had allocated Rs2,545 million for development schemes in Bannu, his home town.