Powerful figures influence transfers, posting of govt officers

When notorious Lyari gangster Uzair Baloch revealed that he had influenced the transfers of certain police officers in Sindh, many were taken aback because of his involvement in criminal activities.

The revelation, however, should not come as a surprise as transfers and postings of government employees on the behest of influential figures is not uncommon in Pakistan - indeed, this is something that has been happening under political patronage for many years.

Historically, the transfer of police officers has remained the first choice for powerful people as it is helpful for them to keep their influence intact. It is generally a part of Pakistan’s political culture to post police officers, especially SHOs, on the recommendations of influential personalities of the area.

Per sources, the practice is rampant in the feudal culture of Sindh, Punjab, and Balochistan, where governmental departments must seek the consent or prior permission of influential personalities before posting a government official in their respective areas. Those who are somehow appointed without the approval of influential personalities face different types of problems, so much so that they get fed up of their jobs.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, a grade-18 officer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said he was posted in Jacobabad last year without the consent of the area’s local influential politician, Mir Aijaz Hussain Jakhrani.

“After taking charge of my office, I received a message from an aide of Jakhrani, asking me to explain my posting. It was an indication that I had been posted there without his approval,” the official said. “On the second day of my job, I was compelled to go and meet Jakhrani’s aide to formally take him into confidence about the posting. Thereafter, I was allowed to work without disturbances.”

Similarly, a grade-19 education department officer was transferred from Shikarpur district because his social activities were disliked by a local Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) politician. Instead, he was sent to Islamkot, a small town in Tharparkar, bordering India. Despite being highly qualified, with a PhD in education and a graduate degree in law, he could not find a posting suitable for his qualification.

“Though I requested my transfer back to Shikarpur several times, I was unsuccessful,” the officer said.

A few months ago, Sarfaraz Hussain Shah, a PPP MPA from Naushero Feroze district approached the Sindh chief minister to get an additional charge approved for his brother-in-law, who already held dual posts in the agriculture department. But Shah sought anther post for him in addition to his current offices. Interestingly, the chief minister obliged and issued orders to give another charge to the officer.

To fulfil this, a grade-19 officer already posted in the position was removed to vacate it. However, the removed officer went to court and acquired a stay order, later being restored to his posting by the Sindh Service Tribunal.

Recently, Karachi’s West deputy commissioner Fayyaz Alam Solangi was also removed from his office at the behest of a local businessman, together with people allegedly involved in illegal land-grabbing issues. Solangi was removed soon after he opened an investigation into the alleged involvement of influential people in the illegal land business.

And it is not just politicians, feudal lords, and businessmen who have are involved in the transfer of government officers - several journalists, too, have been linked to the practice.

“Every influential person, including senior journalists, have a say in the transfer and postings of government officers,” said Islamabad-based senior journalist Qurban Baloch. “It is not a secret anymore. There are several instances where senior journalists used their influential position and had police SHOs transferred to other parts of the country to serve their ulterior motives.”

Published in The Express Tribune, July 11^th, 2020.