KARACHI: Corrupt revenue and police officials were the hot topic for Wednesday’s Sindh Assembly session. MPAs and ministers from the Pakistan Peoples Party expressed their dismay over the district administration and said that instead of helping out flood survivors, revenue officials were harassing and lodging fake cases against them.
“I want to inform this house that the officials from the revenue, irrigation and police departments are not obeying government orders. They are involved in corruption,” said Food Minister Nadir Magsi while discussing a motion against revenue officials moved by PPP MPA Imran Zafar Leghari. “We are in the government but these officials are more powerful than us.” Many MPAs stood up to second the food minister and said that they were facing similar problems in their areas.
Leghari, who is from Khairpur Nathan Shah in Dadu, said that an assistant mukhtiarkar (revenue official) had harassed flood victims. Instead of taking action against the revenue official, the police had lodged a fake case against the flood victims on January 6.
The mukhtiarkar was a junior official but was working as an assistant revenue official. According to Leghari, the deputy commissioner had threatened to lodge a case against him if he took it any further.
In a rather emotional outburst, the MPA said that even though they wanted to talk about many issues they had to keep quiet because of the party’s policy. “As per our policy and manifesto, we are supposed to provide shelter to the people,” he said. “But it seems that there are people set to sabotage our mission.” He said that the revenue official was facing many corruption charges and was even suspended six months ago. Although most of the assembly remained divided on the issue, Sindh Law Minister Ayaz Soomro said that although he respected Legahri, he did not support the motion. Many MPAs were quite enraged with Soomro’s stance on the issue. MPA Dr Ahmed Ali Shah said that it was a very serious issue and could not be ignored.
MPA Taimour Talpur from Umerkot said that the police and revenue officials were not taking their suggestions into consideration.
Speaker Nisar Khuhro asked Revenue Minister Jam Mahtab Dahar and Home Minister Manzoor Wassan if they had discussed the issue. The revenue minister said that he was informed about the situation but did not take action because the revenue official was helping out with the relief work.
Wassan said that police was there to help out and told Leghari that he could handpick any police officer he wanted for the job. National Peoples Party’s Arif Mustafa Jatoi asked the speaker to let the assembly take immediate action and not put it off. Khuhro, however, said that the motion would be discussed in the next session.
Resolutions
The assembly unanimously passed a resolution to enable the service tribunals to carry out the judgment. Soomro said that this was recommended by the national judicial policy-making committee headed by the chief justice. Prior to this, cases were only heard at the tribunals and the decision had to be implemented by the high court.
The MPAs also passed a resolution to support the efforts made by political parties and leaders to strengthen democracy. The content of the resolution was similar to the one moved by Awami National Party leader Asfandyar Wali Khan at the National Assembly. This resolution was moved by PPP MPA Ghulam Mujadid Isran.
The chief minister takes over
At one point, Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah commented on how they did not come into power by using lathis and golis (sticks and bullets) as this was an elected democratic government.
While talking about the 18th amendment, he said that there was a dispute over the General Sales Tax collection between the federal and provincial governments. He added that they would go to the Council of Common Interest and fight for their constitutional right.
According to the chief minister, some people were irrationally criticising the government and its policies. “We have not done ‘nothing’ for Sindh,” he said. “Come and see what we have achieved in the last three and a half years.” Shah indirectly criticised the former chief minister Arbab Ghulam Rahim and said that Rahim’s party was complaining that the government was not doing anything.
Disabled children
During the question answer session MQM’s Heer Ismail Soho asked the social welfare minister about 200 disabled children living in Rehri, Bin Qasim Town. The session was adjourned till Friday.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 19th, 2012.
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