MUZAFFARGARH, Nov 20: After the dissolution of the Punjab Assembly, the Pakistan Muslim League (PML) lost it first major power show in the district council and could manage only 47 union council nazims at a budget session on Tuesday.

Pakistan People’s Party-backed District Nazim Qayyum Jatoi, who is in jail, had asked his UC nazims to boycott the session. In the last session on Nov 10, the PML stole the show by winning the slot of convenor with 83 votes whereas the district nazim had the support of just 35 UC nazims.

The PPP claims that with the Pervazi Elahi’s government gone, a majority of union council nazims have contacted the district nazim to join the PPP.

No executive district officer attended the Tuesday’s session and police deployed outside the council hall remained calm despite exchange of hot words between the PML and PPP leaders.

The session was held to amend the 2007-08 budget, prepared by the district government, wherein only Rs2 million worth development schemes were allaocted for each UC nazims. The nazims, however, wanted more allocations. The session approved Rs5 million funds for each nazim and also okayed 109 citizen community board-related projects.

During the session only 4 PPP union nazims were present and they objected to legality of the amendments, saying the quorum was not complete and the district nazim had not singed the budget document.

PPP Nazim Muhammad Hussain Muna Sheikh said the district government had included the schemes of members of the Punjab Assembly in the district council budget which was against the law.

Mr Khar rejected PPP’s nazim’s views and said he would send these UC nazims’ proposals of development schemes to the secretary of the local government in Lahore.

After the session, the PML-backed convener said that 20 more UC nazims had arrived to the session later brining the total number to 68.

District nazim’s spokesman Jamshed Dasti said the quorum was incomplete and only 41 nazims were present in the session.

Mr Dasti held a press conference before the session and told reporters that they wanted District Nazim Mr Jatoi released and emergency rule and ban on the electronic media withdrawn. He said because of these government’s actions the district nazim group had boycotted the session. He demanded the release of all political workers and Tehrik-i-Insaaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan.

Present at the press conference, PTI district president Imtiaz Chughtai said a delegation of the PTI went to DG Khan jail on Monday but jail authorities did not allow them to meet Mr Khan.