BRT-Cantonment Board dues dispute: Minister says issue to be resolved accordingly

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Minister for Law, Human Rights and Parliamentary Affairs Aftab Alam on Wednesday chaired a meeting to resolve a longstanding dispute over financial dues between Peshawar’s Bus Rapid Transit system and the Cantonment Board.

Finance Adviser Muzammil Aslam, Special Assistant for Transport and Mass Transit Samiullah Khan, the secretaries of Law and Transport, BRT’s chief executive officer, Peshawar Development Authority (PDA) officials and other stakeholders attended the meeting.

Officials briefed the forum on the background to the claims, previous agreements, payments made so far and the exchange of correspondence between the two institutions.Adviser Muzammil Aslam made it clear that the provincial government cannot be held liable for any commitment made without prior approval from the Finance Department.

“No government entity can enter into an agreement that creates a financial obligation for the province without the Finance Department’s concurrence,” he said, stressing that all departments must strictly follow financial rules before accepting any liability.

Minister Aftab Alam described BRT as a flagship public service and said the government was committed to settling the matter in a transparent and lawful manner. He directed all relevant departments to compile and submit complete records of past agreements, decisions and communications so that the legal and financial standing of the case could be determined.

“The provincial government does not deny legitimate dues,” he said. “However, any payment will be made strictly in accordance with the law, the terms of the contract, available records and Finance Department regulations.”

The meeting instructed the PDA and BRT authorities to review all previous correspondence and documents with the Cantonment Board and share them with the Law and Finance departments.

It was agreed that the issue would be taken forward through inter-departmental coordination, and no financial payment or liability would be finalised until a thorough legal and financial review was completed.