The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government has implemented a total ban on using grants intended for the salaries and pensions of Tehsil Municipal Administration (TMA) and Capital Metropolitan Government employees for any developmental or unrelated expenditures. The Local Government Department issued a statement confirming that the move follows persistent complaints from most districts regarding the diversion of these specific funds.
According to the department, this long-standing administrative irregularity caused municipal employees to go without salaries for months. This situation resulted in severe financial hardship, leading workers to stage strikes, demonstrations, and protests. These actions, the department noted, disrupted municipal services and created serious administrative problems for the public.
The Local Government Department has now issued a directive stating that salary and pension grants must be used exclusively for their intended purposes. Any TMA or metropolitan government found diverting these funds will face disciplinary proceedings. Specifically, action will be initiated against the concerned Tehsil Municipal Officer (TMO), Finance Officer, and TOI for administrative violations.
The department stated that the new policy is backed by strict accountability and that the grants are ring-fenced, meaning they cannot be re-appropriated under any circumstances. The measure aims to protect the financial rights of municipal staff and restore predictability to the payment cycle.
Practical instructions from the Advisor to the Governor and the Secretary of the Local Council Board have already begun to show results. After several years of irregular payments, all employees of the Local Government Department received their full salaries on the first of the month.
Municipal employees across K-P expressed relief and satisfaction, with many describing the restoration of regular payments as a historic and highly welcome step. Workers credited the Advisor to the Governor and the Secretary Local Council Board for the intervention. Authorities hope these measures will end the cycle of protests and ensure public funds for staff welfare are used only for that purpose.
