Local govt commission order challenged | Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)

Pakistan Press Foundation

Local govt commission order challenged

Bureau Report

PESHAWAR, Sept 7: The Charssada district nazim on Thursday requested the Peshawar High Court to suspend an order of the provincial Local Government Commission, freezing presidential grant and suspending development work in the district. Qazi Mohammad Anwer, who appeared on behalf of the district nazim, Naseer Muhammad Khan, contended that the commission’s order was affecting 49 union councils in the district.

A two-member bench of the high court, comprising Justice Qaim Jan Khan and Justice Hamid Farooq Durrani, fixed Sept 14 for hearing the nazim’s application seeking relief. The bench was hearing two writ petitions on the issue of Rs100 million presidential grants. Wasif Khan and 22 filed the first petition other district councillors, requesting the high court to declare the execution of the development works through the Citizens Community Boards illegal. They requested that funds should be equally distributed among the union nazims so that they could carry out development work.

Naseer Mohammad Khan, challenging the commission’s order, filed the second petition. The provincial local government commission had frozen the funds after receiving complaints from movers of the first petition. The district Nazim contended that the commission was not empowered to freeze the grant as the federal government had provided it. The nazim stated that development works were being carried out in accordance with the mechanism provided in a resolution passed by the district council, adding that only the province’s chief executive could set aside that resolution. The court could not hear the other petition. Qazi Mohammad Anwer stated that they had also sought interim relief. He requested the court to fix a short date for hearing the application for interim relief, while the main writ petitions could be heard later. The application seeking interim relief will be heard on Sept 14.
Source: Dawn
Date:9/8/2006