Diversion of Torghar funds to other areas stayed.

The Peshawar High Court on Tuesday stopped the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government from diverting funds allocated for Torghar district as special development package to other schemes in the province.

A bench consisting of Justice Ikramullah Khan and Justice Mohammad Ayub Khan issued notices to the provincial chief secretary and planning and development secretary asking them to file their respective replies to a petition filed by Awami National Party MPA Laiq Mohammad Khan against a letter of the chief minister about the re-appropriation of Torghar's development funds to schemes in other areas.

The bench ruled that the funds allocated in the Annual Development Plan for schemes in Torghar's PK-35 constituency should not be re-appropriated to any other scheme until further orders.

PHC seeks govt reply to petition challenging CM move for purpose

The respondents in the petition are KP government through chief secretary; planning and development secretary; local government secretary, and secretary to the chief minister.

Babar Khan Yousafzai, lawyer for the petitioner, said Torghar was a backward district and was neglected by the successive governments in development schemes.

He said the 2018-19 budget had Rs260 million for developmental schemes in Torghar, while an ADP scheme was announced for the district as a special developmental package.

The lawyer said a letter issued by the chief minister on Dec 14, 2018, revealed the suspension of funding for the scheme and its re-appropriation to other schemes in other areas.

He said that decision was taken by the chief minister as the petitioner was elected MPA from the area on the ticket of the opposition Awami National Party.

The lawyer said very few development schemes had been carried out in Torghar since it was declared a district in 2011, while it was...