LARKANA, July 7 A stand-off between the PPP-backed Awam Dost Panel and the rival Khushhal Pakistan Panel (KPP) has delayed presentation of the annual budget of the district government.

Larkana district council members belonging to the two panels developed a dispute over the question that who enjoyed majority in the district council.

“We are ready to present the budget, but ADP members are avoiding attending the budget session,” said District Nazim Mohammed Bakhsh Arijo told this reporter on Tuesday.

The district nazim had been scheduled to present the budget in the June-30 session of the council, sources said. But it could not be presented due to differences cropped up at the eleventh hour between the members of ADP and KPP.

The acting convener of Larkana district council, Nisar Murad Bhutto, had to adjourned the session indefinitely.

Though District Coordination Officer Muhammed Jaffer Abbasi and the district nazim had held meetings with the selected members of ADP and KPP to smoothly conduct the session, both groups deviated from the commitment.

The session was prorogued when the KPP members took shelter in a Sindh High Court's decision that had restrained unseated naib nazim Syed Ali Raza Shah from attending and presiding over the session till July 13.

The DCO Larkana had held a meeting with the two groups for calling the session and presenting budget. But it could not be held, said Badar Abbasi, a key member of the KPP.

Some members of the KPP kept waiting in the Circuit House for the session but in vain as the council officer did not issue invitation letters to the members.

It was the number game that had compelled the ADP members to remain away from the session.

In the house of 61, the ADP members had the support of only 29 members while the KPP enjoyed the support of 32 members.

Despite repeated attempts, the ADP members had failed to develop the required support. Haji Altaf Unnar backs the KPP members.

The district nazim said “We will follow the Sindh Local Government Ordinance and under the situation government is not facing any problem.”

Four members, two of the KPP Babu Serwar Siyal and Basheer Shaikh and two of the ADP, were out of the country.

The sources said Section 112 of the SLGO and its sub-section 7 empowered the district government to continue spending for 30 days only.

The ordinance provides space to the members of the council to meet and pass the budget in that period. If the council cannot meet in the mandatory time, the sub-section 8 of Section 112 calls for sending the prepared budget to the local government for passing it.

Most of the times, under those conditions, the local government department had passed the submitted budgetary proposals, the sources in the finance department told this reporter on Tuesday.

A delay would further weaken the ADP's standing in the house and being the part of present government, its members might cut a sorry figure before their voters for failing to incorporating their development schemes in the budget.