MUZAFFARABAD, March 27: The AJK Legislative Assembly witnessed a heated debate and rumpus here on Wednesday after the opposition members accused the government of ignoring them in consultations for approval of schemes under the Khushhal Kashmir Programme.

The uproar started as the house, presided over by Speaker Sardar Siab Khalid, took up a call-attention notice moved on the issue by opposition MLA Sardar Mohammad Hussain Khan.

Mr Khan alleged that the government had not entertained the opposition’s recommendations regarding development schemes, saying that the opposition was denied representation in project committees.

Other opposition members, including Pervez Ashraf, Sardar Ghulam Sadiq, Haji Javed Akhtar, Munir Awan and Shahzada Kosar Gillani, expressed similar views.

Some ruling party members rejected the allegations, saying that the criticism against them was uncalled for. A ruling party member, Raja Nasir, even indulged in a verbal brawl with Sardar Mohammad Hussain Khan for quite some time, creating a bedlam in the house.

Opposition leader Barrister Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry backed the views of his colleagues, and accused the government of approving development projects on the recommendations of its defeated candidates instead of the elected people from the opposition.

“Even I was not consulted on a single scheme in my constituency,” he said, adding it was only after he had brought the matter into the notice of the general officer commanding, Murree, that the government had approved five schemes of his choice.

The law minister said: “If such a case is brought into my knowledge, I assure that we will review it.” He announced that he would brief the MLAs from both sides at the assembly committee room on Thursday evening on the issue.

The minister tabled seven ordinances and bills, which were referred by the house to the committees concerned. They were: the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Ehtesab Bureau (Amendment) Ordinance, 2002, the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Ceasefire Line Incidents Relief (Amendments), the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Prohibition of Smoking Ordinance, 2002, the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly (Elections) (Amendment) Act 2002, the Prime Minister Inspection and Implementation Commission Act, 2002, the Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) (Adaptation) Act, 2002, and the Zakat and Ushr (Amendment) Act, 2002.