PESHAWAR, June 14: The leader of opposition in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, Akram Khan Durrani, has expressed dismay over the new budget, stating that affairs of the province are being run without direction.

Opening debate on the budget for the year 2011-12 on Tuesday, he demanded impartial inquiries in alleged corrupt practices in purchases of weapons for police and flood relief activities including distribution of Watan Cards. Speaker Karamatullah Khan Chagharmati was presiding over the proceedings.

Mr Durrani in his speech mostly focused on foreign affairs, America's economy, war against terrorism and militancy rather than highlighting major loopholes in the provincial budget. In his opening remarks he lambasted absence of chief minister, ministers and administrative secretaries from the proceedings. He was of the view that chief minister, his cabinet members and all secretaries should have ensured their presence in the house during the opposition leader's speech on the budget. During his speech few secretaries were present in the official gallery which annoyed the opposition leader.

“Regrettably, Mr Speaker this government not only breach privilege of this august house but it also undermine the democracy,” he remarked, adding that government had no regards for the opposition leader. He said that he had never experienced such pathetic situation before.

Mr Durrani said that before the assembly session police officials had asked the speaker and parliamentary party leaders to finish budget session within two days because they could not provide security.

“If a government can't run the assembly session then it has no right to remain in power,” he remarked.

Though the opposition leader criticised the budget, yet he could not pinpoint discrepancies in the budget or make any suggestion for improvement, helping out the government to put the province's economy on the right track. His criticism was focused on Bannu, his hometown, rather than highlighting main issues and challenges being faced by the province.

He threw light on irregularities in distribution of Watan Cards, relief goods and purchase of weapons for police. He demanded independent inquiries in this regard.

He said that government had frozen annual development programme for the year 2010-11 after floods in the province without the consent of provincial assembly. He said that the ADP was de-frozen about two months ago and finance minister in his budget speech claimed that 76 per cent funds meant for ADP had been utilised.

“The government should tell this house where these funds have been utilised,” he questioned, saying that not a single primary school had been constructed during outgoing financial year. He said that uplift schemes might be executed in few selected districts.

Mr Durrani said that government had failed to bring foreign companies to start exploration of oil and gas in southern districts of the province. He also criticised allocation of Rs1.20 billion for development of new housing scheme in Jalozai area and proposed that government should first complete Regi Model Town in Peshawar instead of stepping into new ventures.

The opposition leader also questioned the logic behind investing Rs10 billion, received on account of arrears of net hydel profit, in Treasury Bills (T-Bills) instead of utilising the amount for income generating projects.

“Such investment are made only when a government doesn't have any plan for tapping the potential income generating sectors and this has happened under the current administration in the province,” said Mr Durrani.

He supported increase in allocation for law enforcement agencies. He said that enrolment in primary schools had fallen from 2.7 million to 2.6 million.

He criticised government for suggesting levying tax on tobacco and snuff in the new budget. He said that snuff was major product of Bannu district. He asked government not to impose tax on snuff, which he termed a distinctive feature of Pakhtun culture.

Legislators burst into laughter when Durrani talked about use of snuff in Balochistan. He said that the tax would affect common man. About allocation of funds for Peshawar, he said that provincial capital generated over Rs7 billion annually while the government had allocated only Rs1.45 billion in the budget.