ISLAMABAD: As the federal government moves towards next general election, it has started to release development funds for special constituencies, including the constituency of the prime minister, under the energy for all and prime minister’s global sustainable development goals (SDGs) achievement programme.
Information available with Pakistan Today indicates that the federal government has disbursed Rs7.2 billion to 27 constituencies including the constituency of the prime minister and federal minister for interior, in energy for all programme.
Documents available with Pakistan Today stated that government has released Rs250 million as technical supplementary grants for certain National Assembly constituencies. Moreover, Rs714.842 million development funds were released for the constituency of Minister for Interior and Planning & Development Ahsan Iqbal.
The government has also released Rs142 million for NA-9 (Mardan-1). This seat belongs to ANP leader as well as former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) chief minister Amir Haider Khan.
Furthermore, the government has released Rs300.4 million for NA-129, a seat won by Shazia Mubashar of PML-N in general elections 2013, whereas Rs252.317 million has also been released for the constituencies of NA-29, NA-30 and NA-31.
Likewise, Ministry of Finance released Rs238.786 million for NA-112 (Sailkot-111), a seat belonging to PML-N MNA Rana Shamim Ahmed Khan, whereas Rs340.466 million were released during the second month of the current fiscal year for the constituency of NA-132 (Sheikhupura-11-cum-Nankana Sahib), a seat of Federal Minister for Defense Production Rana Tanveer Hussain.
Furthermore, Rs614.304 million development funds have been released for NA-17 (Abbottabad-1).
Meanwhile, Rs300 million have been released for NA-129, Rs238 million for NA-112, Rs257 million for Kahuta, Rs40 million for Murree, Rs397 million for NA-50, Rs120 million for NA-131 and Rs139 for NA-60 respectively.
In addition to this, Rs105 for NA-153, Rs300 million for Kohat, Rs100 million for NA-87, Rs700 million for NA-18, Rs108 for NA-131, Rs30 million for NA 132, Rs500 million for Naushero Feroz, Rs229 for Mansehra and Rs250 for Nankana sahib have been released.
Documents show that government has focused on Punjab in energy for all programme grants as MPs from Sindh and Baluchistan were deprived of these funds.
The government also allocated Rs30 billion for the prime minister’s SDGs achievement programme.
Sources, however, stated that the government is utilising these funds for development purposes as the government’s tenure is likely to end in May 2018 and parliamentarians are demanding funds for their constituencies so that they can spend money on their voters.
It is worth mentioning here that Pakistan People’s Party government used to disburse development funds to their MNAs through people works programme, but the government had to stop it because the Supreme Court had taken notice of embezzlement in this scheme.
The funds are not being released for the parliamentarians on reserved seats for females and minorities as the female parliamentarians had once in a meeting of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Planning and Development raised this issue and requested the chairman to convey their sentiments to the ministers concerned.
