PESHAWAR: Expressing strong anger over a petition filed against the non-release of funds to local government representatives in the province, the Peshawar High Court has summoned the Finance Secretary Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to the court in personal capacity today.
A two-member bench comprising Justice Syed Arshad Ali and Justice Faheem Wali heard the case. During the hearing, the petitioner’s lawyer told the court that the local government representatives were voted to serve the people, but not a single rupee was released to them for development works during the last four years.
The lawyer further pointed out that these representatives were elected in 2021 and their constitutional term is about to end in March 2026, but the government is still withholding the funds.
During the hearing, the court strongly criticized the government and asked, “If funds were not to be released, then what was the need to hold local government elections?” The court asked the Additional Advocate General to tell how much fund has been released to the local government representatives so far and how much budget has been allocated by the provincial government in this regard.
The Additional Advocate General replied to the court that the release of funds was delayed due to the non-formation of committees. However, the court termed this reply as unsatisfactory and questioned the absence of officials from the Finance Department and P&D.
The court ordered that the Finance Secretary appear in court today and explain why the funds are not being released and what steps have been taken in this regard so far. The hearing of the case adjourned till afternoon.
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