PHC Orders Release of LG Funds and Protects Azam Swati

The Peshawar High Court (PHC) has directed the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government to release development funds to local government representatives in accordance with the law. The court issued these orders while disposing of a petition filed against the withholding of funds from elected local officials. A two-member bench comprising Justice Muhammad Naeem Anwar and Justice Kamran Hayat Miankhel heard the case on Thursday. The petition, filed by Humayun Mayar and others, was argued by Advocate Babar Khan Yousafzai.

The counsel informed the court that despite local government elections being held in 2021-22, the provincial government has not provided a single rupee in development funds to opposition-affiliated representatives. He added that the law clearly mandates that a specific portion of the annual development budget must be spent through local bodies.

In the 2024-25 development budget, the government allocated funds to 56 of its own local representatives, while denying any funds to 71 opposition-aligned mayors and tehsil chairmen. Under the law, 30 per cent of the annual development budget is required to be allocated to local government representatives.

He further argued that such discriminatory actions undermine the rights of LG representatives elected by the public and are in violation of the government's own legislation. Therefore, he requested the court to compel the government to fulfill its legal obligations and release the appropriate share of the development budget. After hearing all arguments, the court ordered the government to ensure that local government representatives are allocated funds in accordance with the law in the upcoming 2025-26 development budget.

PHC has barred the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) from arresting Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Azam Swati in connection with the Kohistan mega corruption scandal. However, the court directed Swati to cooperate and join the ongoing investigation. The ruling came during the hearing of a writ petition filed by Swati, which was taken up by a two-member bench comprising Justice Syed Arshad Ali and Justice Dr Khurshid Iqbal.

During the hearing, Swati's counsel, Barrister Waqar, informed the court that NAB had issued a notice to his client regarding the Kohistan corruption case, summoning him on June 23. Instead of appearing personally, Swati's lawyer represented him before NAB. The counsel further informed the court that multiple FIRs had already been registered against Swati in various police stations across the country, details of which are known.

He argued that while NAB had now issued a 'call-up notice', it failed to specify in what capacity his client was being summoned.

According to the source: The Express Tribune.