SWABI: Rivalry between the Swabi tehsil council members and the nazim has affected development process as funds amounting to Rs100 million lapsed in the financial year 2018-19, Dawn learnt here on Monday.

Sources said hostility between the tehsil nazim Wahid Shah and members of the council erupted before presentation of annual budget 2018-19, on distribution of development funds, and it reached to the point that the budget could not be presented.

The animosity further deepened when Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf members and the tehsil nazim took their battle to the Peshawar High Court, said the sources, adding though Mr Wahid won the legal battle, his rivalry with the councillors persisted.

The sources said the council had remained non-functional for over a year, but later the rival parties’ members realised the gravity of the situation and made efforts to settle their dispute with the nazim to the extent that development funds could be released, but they continued efforts to de-seat him. It is to mention here that when Jamaat-i-Islami expelled Mr Wahid from the party he soon joined Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, which also led convener, Gohar Ali of Awami National Party, to join PTI.

The rivalry has resulted in lapse of Rs100 million, stoppage of construction work on numerous projects and payment to the contractors.

Meanwhile, the council members said they would meet provincial minister for local government Shahram Khan Tarakai for restoring the lapsed funds.

Councillor Rashid Sohail said as Mr Shahram Tarakai belongs to Swabi he should play his role in releasing the lapsed funds.

However, the teshil nazim said Mr Tarakai did not want development of Swabi tehsil as he first attempted to de-seat him and then created hurdles to weaken the tehsil government.

“The PTI leaders are responsible for the entire mess in Swabi tehsil, but they have failed in their designs,” he said.

Anwar Haqdad, PTI district president, said Mr Wahid won’t remain in power if JI cooperated with them. “We have nine members and JI has six in the 22-member council, which is enough to de-seat the nazim,” he said.

However, Mr Wahid has been able to keep JI and PTI councillors away from each other, thus enabling him to complete his constitutional period, said a councillor.

Published in Dawn, March 12th, 2019