ABBOTTABAD Hundreds of activists of the Tehreek Huqooq-e-Hazara (THH) from Kohistan, Battagram, Haripur, Abbottabad and Manshera demanded immediate allocation of 'block funds retained in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwas Annual Development Plan 2011-12 and ensure transparency in funds utilisation. This demand was made in a huge public meeting here on Thursday. The THH activists condemned the KP governments disregard for public accountability by retaining Rs 56 billion as block funds out of a total outlay of Rs 85 billion in this years ADP for the province. Block funds are budget allocations approved for unspecified districts that are subsequently allocated to areas of the governments choice. Misuse of public funds is a divisive force that creates distances among people, promotes distrust in state institutions and fuels hatred. Many of the challenges being faced by Pakistan today can be traced to impropriety in use of public funds, asserted Ali Asghar Khan, a leader of THH while addressing the assembly. Equitable use of national resources is the greatest contributor to a peoples sense of participation and belonging. It is a force that can bind people together. Together we will make sure that public funds are used judiciously so that Pakistan can effectively face its critical challenges and move forward on the path of progress and prosperity for all its citizens, said Ali Asghar Khan. He emphasised that keeping 66 per cent of development funds as block allocations is a denial of the citizens fundamental right to know. He demanded that decisions on such a large proportion of public money would be made through a proper parliamentary debate and would not be left to executive decree. He quoted the example of a block allocation of Rs 300 million in the last years budget intended for educational scholarships for students from across KPK. The government documents show that this entire block amount was used in the Chief Ministers home district of Mardan. Similarly, previous budgets show benefits bestowed on Bannu during former CM Akram Durranis tenure as chief minister. Such practices raise serious concerns of public funds used for political patronage, he said. THH has also strongly condemned the meagre allocation of 6 per cent of development funds to Hazara and 2.8 per cent to the southern districts of KPK. Hazara accounts for 20 per cent of the total population of KPK and 24 per cent of its total area. Some of its parts especially Kohistan are also among the poorest. We want to know the basis on which this distribution was decided, demanded Sher Khan from Kohistan. Is the government favouring the areas where it has its vote bank, asked Shazia Bibi from Haripur. This is our money. We will not allow anyone to misuse it, asserted Javed Khan from Battagram. Ali Asghar Khan suggested that the criteria used by the National Finance Commission for the distribution of funds should be applied to justify distribution of funds amongst the provinces. Immediate steps must be taken to make the provincial finance commission effective to ensure fair distribution of funds within the province, asserted Ali Asghar Khan. He said that consistently skewed budget priorities have high costs. They lead to unequal development, disparity, frustration, and alienation. The creation of new provinces will help better management of resources and also give more people control over their lives. Formed in 2005, THH is a citizen platform consisting of thousands of women and men from Kohistan, Mansehra, Battagram, Haripur and Abbottabad. THHs mass mobilization for accountable use of public funds is gaining momentum with a series of public meetings organized in different parts of Hazara and also in the southern districts of Dera Ismail Khan and Tank.