MQM-P loses three wickets

Govt, on ECP directive, fires administrators of Korangi, South, Hyderabad districts

KARACHI:

As Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) drift apart ahead of the local bodies elections, the Sindh government, acting on directives of the Election Commission of Pakistan, removed three administrators of municipal corporations appointed on Muttahida's recommendation.

In a major development ahead of the second phase of LG polls in Karachi and Hyderabad divisions, three administrators appointed on the recommendation of MQM-P were removed from their posts and more than 100 officers of various municipal corporations were also stopped from working.

The Sindh government, on the instructions of ECP, removed the administrators of Karachi's East and Korangi Districts, and Hyderabad District. Their appointments were part of the deal MQM-P had made with PPP to help in the ouster of Imran Khan's PTI government.

Subsequently, the Sindh government issued a notification that acting on the orders of ECP, the appointment of District Municipal Corporation (DMC) East Administrator Muhammad Shakeel Ahmed, DMC Korangi Administrator Muhammad Sharif and Administrator Hyderabad Muhammad Farooq has been suspended. The three administrators were appointed on the recommendation of MQM-P.

According to the election code of conduct, new officers cannot be appointed after the announcement of an election schedule. The Sindh government has stopped more than 100 local government officers from working.

Jawwad Shah, the director KMC in Grade 18, has been stopped to work till the further order. The notification of the Director Administration Abbasi Shaheed Hospital Saima Imran was also cancelled.

Orders of Maqsood Mallah, Zafar Khalid, Zulfiqar Waggan have also been suspended till the completion of LB elections. Notifications of Azizul Rehman Tunio, the director contract management (Grade 18) District Qambar, Ali Sher Jafferi, the director contract management (Grade 19) have also been suspended. Similarly, the notification of the district council Administrator Dadu Abdul Karim Soomro, the administrator town committee New Saeedabad Shakeel Wastarro have also been suspended.

Notifications of senior director Katchi Abadis Rafiq Shahani, Afaq Mirza of KMC and Rukhsana, ETO of Excise and Taxation Madad Ali Khokhar, and 18 other officers have also been suspended.

Meanwhile, following ECP instructions, KMC has relieved its four officers from their positions and directed them to report to the Services General Administration and Coordination Department, Government of Sindh. These offers were appointed by the Karachi administrator.

On December 16, the newly appointed administrator of KMC Saifur Rehman had posted Muhammad Baig as Financial Advisor, Afaq Mirza as Director of Kachi Abadis, Noman Arshad as Project Director of Terminal, and Jameel Farooqui as Director of Administration. The Election Commission had taken notice of the violation and issued orders to KMC's Human Resource Management Department against it after which KMC removed its four officers from their posts and directed to report to the administration. The Election Commission has imposed a ban on all appointments, postings and transfers until the conduct of local government elections.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 5^th, 2023.