MARDAN: The district council passed Rs11.39 billion budget for fiscal year 2018-19 here on Friday.

Acting district nazim Asad Ali presented the budget during the session which was chaired by presiding officer Tariq Aziz. The council passed the budget with simple majority.

Addressing the session after approval of the budget, Asad Ali thanked the council members for their cooperation in passing the budget for fiscal year 2018-19.On this occasion, he announced that the district government would donate Rs10 million to the PM-CJP dam fund.

Council donates Rs10 million to dam fund

Opposition councillor Ali Gohar of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf alleged that Mr Tufail, private secretary of former district nazim Himaytaullah Mayar, had spent without any authority Rs24 million of sports fund on a science festival, held last year in the sports complex.

He called for presenting details of the use of sports fund on the science festival in the council. Mr Gohar also demanded that inquiry should be conducted in misuse of the sports funds. Minority member Amanat Masih criticised the budget, saying that only Rs12 million were allocated for minorities in the budget and termed it insufficient and a joke with them.

Councillors Shahid Bacha, Naeem Anwar, Fazle Malik, Naeem Bacha, Malik Ilyas, Hafeezul Wahab, Aliya Nawab and Saleem Khan also take part in the debate and presented suggestions for utilisation of the budget.

SECURITY SOUGHT: Pakhtun Students Federation (PkSF) on Friday staged a rally outside Mardan Press Club in support of Awami National Party’s central general secretary Mian Iftikhar Hussain and demanded of the government to provide security to the party leaders.

The rally was led by PkSF provincial vice-president Sajid Ali Yousafzai, district general secretary Changiz Khan and other office-bearers and attended by a large number of party activists.

The participants were holding placards and banners inscribed with slogans in favour of Mr Hussain and chanted slogans against the provincial government for its failure to provide security to the ANP leaders.

Speaking on the occasion, the PkSF leaders said that it was responsibility of the state to provide security to its citizens.

They claimed that Mr Hussain was getting life threats, but despite that both the central and provincial governments were not taking steps to provide security to him.

Published in Dawn, September 15th, 2018