PESHAWAR, Oct 4: The Peshawar High Court on Tuesday directed the provincial government not to release fresh funding for development schemes across the province until next week.

Additional Advocate General Naveed Akhtar was also told to submit within a week the record, including a comparative statement about development schemes launched by the provincial government.

The directions were issued by a two-member bench comprising Chief Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan and Justice Mazhar Alam Miankhel during a hearing into a writ petition of MMA MPA Malik Qasim Khattak, who alleged that the provincial government had been discriminating against the opposition members in the assembly while distributing funds for developmental schemes.

The court fixed the next hearing to October 11.

During previous hearings, the court had directed the additional advocate general to produce record, including a comparative statement about how much funds had been allocated for developmental schemes in the province and to MPAs.

However, the sought-after record was not produced. The bench expressed annoyance at non-production of the record. The additional advocate general maintained that the relevant officials had been preparing the record, a time consuming job.

Eid Mohammad Khattak and Malik Mohammad Ajmal, counsel for the petitioners, pleaded that disbursement of more funds by the government be stopped to check 'delaying tactics' of the state lawyer.

An MPA of MMA from Lakki Marwat, Naseer Muhammad Midadkhel, also appeared before the court along with Qasim Khattak and said one billion rupees were allocated for five poor districts, Tank, Lakki Marwat, Kohat, Buner and Batagram, but were used through MPAs of the ruling coalition ignoring opposition members.

He further said Rs200 million was allocated for each of the five districts, whereas in his district, it was utilised through two of the ruling party MPAs with him being ignored.

The MPA alleged that the government had been focusing all energies and funds on Mardan district, the hometown of the chief minister.

The additional advocate general said the petitioner had been confusing the issue as currently, no funding had been directly made to an MPA and that the developmental schemes were carried out under the umbrella programme introduced by the previous MMA government.

The chief justice asked him what stopped him from producing the sought-after record before the court.

Naveed Akhtar tried to convince the court not to stay the disbursement of fresh funds for development schemes saying it would adversely affect common man.

The bench observed that it would only stay releasing any fresh money for development schemes, whereas the already released funds could be utilised.