Sindh govt in lockdown as officials abstain from work

Employees of the SSGC are also in a quandary after three of their top officials were picked up

KARACHI: The Sindh government is on lockdown. Several of its officials and bureaucrats have been arrested on charges of corruption. Others have gone into hiding for fear of meeting the same fate.

In the absence of these officials, courtesy of the raids by the accountability agencies and law enforcers, offices in the Sindh Secretariat, Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, the Sindh Building Control Authority, the Karachi Building Control Authority, Karachi Development Authority and the Sui Southern Gas Company wear a deserted look. The officials, who once sat behind enormous desks in these offices, are now scurrying to get protective bails, leaving hundreds of citizens in a quandary as they await them at the offices.

"I have been visiting this office since last week but the officer doesn't come in to work," said Adnan Ahmed, a resident of Gulshan-e-Iqbal, who was standing in front of the office of the KMC's additional director for land. Ahmed is pursuing these officials to transfer his property. Each day, he is asked to come tomorrow. "Today, I have learnt that some officials working here are seeking protective bail which is why they don't come to work," he said.

The same situation prevails in revenue and land utilisation department of the Sindh government. Attendance is thin in the Sindh Secretariat, as senior officials working in the health, education, excise and taxation and irrigation departments avoid coming to work.

"The excise and taxation secretary and the anti-corruption director were picked up during working hours.  The raids in various departments by federal agencies have created a sense of fear," said an official, adding that land records of as far back as 40 years ago have been seized. Land allotment orders issued by Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the then chief minister Jam Sadiq and others, are also being investigated.

In the absence of officials and with records of the last 40 years seized, the citizens of Karachi find it impossible to sell or purchase properties, bringing real estate transactions in the city almost to a standstill.

The looming sense of foreboding is not limited to the provincial government departments though. Employees of the SSGC are also in a quandary after three of their top officials - the deputy managing director, Shoaib Warsi, chief financial officer, Muhammad Amin Rajput and general manager, Kamran Nagi, were picked up. According to a source at the utility's managerial level, around eight of their top officials have gone into hiding following the raids.

Legitimate raids

For the law enforcers, these raids are completely legitimate and are only conducted after they have ample proof against the suspects. "We don't harass anyone, neither is it our motive to create such conditions," said the official of a law enforcement agency, who wished not to be named. "We will not, however, let terrorism activities continue in the guise of government officials.  Those who have been arrested have direct or indirect links to terrorism. Further, we will prove it in the court of law."

Meanwhile, Sindh Information Minister Nisar Khuhro agreed that these raids have created a sense of fear and even those officials who have no blot of corruption avoid coming to work.  "We have protested these raids being conducted by federal agencies. It is an invasion of Sindh," said Khuhro, adding that these federal agencies have no legitimate authority to take such action. "The anti-corruption department works actively in Sindh and its chairperson is unbiased and honest. Let this institution strengthen and function," he said, adding that over 50 officials working in government departments have been arrested by the anti-corruption establishment so far. "More lists are being prepared but the federal agencies should stop victimising PPP leaders and bureaucrats in Sindh."

Published in The Express Tribune, September 5^th, 2015.