PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Local Government Commission (KPLGC) on Wednesday declared the annual budgets of District Council Mansehra and Tehsil Municipal Council Abbottabad null and void as both budgets were passed in violation of law.

The commission also declared null and void the District Council Tank meeting as it was convened without proper procedure.

The decisions were taken at a meeting of the commission presided over by its chairman and Minister for Local Government Inayatullah Khan. Members of the commission, including secretary law Mohammad Arifeen, secretary local government Syed Jamaluddin Shah, Dr Iqbal Khalil, Shamaila Tabassum and director general local government Adil Sadiq, attended the meeting.

According to the law, at least 51 per cent of the total members should be present during the budget session, a member of the commission told Dawn, saying only 43 per cent of the total 88 members were present during the budget passage at Mansehra District Council.

The TMC Abbottabad’s budget was declared null and avoid as the convener of the council was not present at the budget meeting, rather he was out with the protesting members of the council, the commission member said, adding that the convener should be present inside the council during the passage of the budget.

Published in Dawn, March 17th, 2016