RAWALPINDI: The citizens in the two National Assembly (NA) constituencies in the city are paying the price for not voting the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) in the May 11 2013 general elections.

Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and Awami Muslim League (AML) President Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, who were elected from NA-56 and NA-55 respectively, have got not a single penny for development schemes from the Punjab government.

Talking to Dawn, Sheikh Rashid lashed out at the Punjab government for ignoring his area and said the PML-N was taking revenge on the people for voting him.

“Had the government launched the Leh expressway project, it would have solved a number of problems being faced by the residents. However, the provincial government is dancing to the tunes of the local PML-N leaders who lost the elections and have been misguiding it.”

He added: “Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan is elected from the semi-urban constituency and I represent the urban areas but the Punjab government is spending billions of rupees on the interior minister’s constituency and has completely ignored the people of the main city areas.”

He said in all important matters related to policy making and local issues, the Punjab government was consulting the unelected local leaders of the PML-N.

Raja Tariq Mehboob Kiani, who heads the coordination committee for NA-56 on behalf of Imran Khan, said the Punjab government had not allocated even a single penny to the NA and provincial assembly constituencies represented by PTI leaders.

“The metro bus project is being launched in areas falling in the two main constituencies of NA-55 and NA-56 but neither Imran Khan nor Sheikh Rashid were taken on board about the project,” he said.

He said municipal affairs were also being run in consultation with the PML-N local leaders who were defeated in the general elections.

Mr Kiani said MPA Raja Hanif Advocate from PP-14, which falls under NA-56, was lucky enough to get development funds because he belonged to the PML-N. “Neither the local administration nor the provincial departments accommodate the requests of the PTI MPAs regarding public complaints. However, PML-N leaders get their works done without any hurdle,” he said.

He said Rs500 million were allocated for the construction of streets, drains, water supply lines and roads in NA-52, the constituency of Chaudhry Nisar.

The indifference of the provincial government is more visible in the main city areas from Marrir Chowk to Faizabad and from Benazir Bhutto International Airport to Pirwadhai from where the PTI candidates had won the elections. The MPAs from these areas - Rashid Hafeez, Ijaz Khan Jazi and Arif Abbasi - were denied funds allocated for the provincial assembly members during the current fiscal year.

The political workers and residents of the constituencies of the AML and the PTI said the PML-N had adopted a discriminatory approach towards their areas.

Ghulam Hussain, a resident of Purana Qila, said the PML-N had failed to launch projects for the welfare of the people despite returning to power in the Punjab. “We live in the opposition-led constituency and would not get development funds at least during the tenure of this government,” he added.

When contacted, former MNA Malik Shakil Awan of the PML-N said the provincial government during its previous tenure had launched development projects worth Rs4 billion in NA-55 and Rs9 billion in NA-56. “Now there is no need for new project in these areas at least during the current fiscal year.

He said Sheikh Rashid and the PTI chairman did not know the requirements of the citizens, adding there were Rs250 million development schemes in progress that would be completed in the next fiscal year.

He said under a new policy the provincial government did not allocate funds to MNAs and MPAs directly. All the projects would be identified by the people’s representatives and the government would launch the work, he added.