The Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) direction to the Sindh Government that 65 officials who could influence the upcoming general elections should be changed within seven days seems to have been circumvented by the caretaker government. Only a handful has been reshuffled, while the rest are enjoying their previous positions, Pakistan Today has learnt.
Interestingly, many of those who have been reshuffled are junior officers, making a mockery of the commission’s order.
The election commission in its order No F8 (12)2012-Cord dated April 11, 2013 instructed the provincial governments to reshuffle all the secretaries, Police IGs, CCPOs, commissioners, DCOs, DPOs, SHOs, patwaris and EDOs so that the holding of polls could be made transparent.
“Shuffle/transfer all federal and provincial secretaries. However, if the caretaker government considers that a federal or provincial secretary is independent and need not to be transferred/shuffled, it may refrain from doing so by giving an explanation to the election commission”, said a commission’s letter exclusively available with Pakistan Today.
“Whereas, it has come to the knowledge of the commission that no transfers have been made in Sindh in pursuance of the aforementioned direction, nor has the commission received any intimation with reasons that the transfers were not necessary,” the letter added.
“The commission has recently received a number of complaints which allege that several officials in the administration of the Government of Sindh are biased in favour political parties which were a part of the previous government. Specific complaints have also been received in relation to the following individuals”, the letter said before mentioning the names of the officials,” the letter said.
The letter carried the names of the Chief Secretary, Additional Secretary S&G Admn, Home Secretary, Principal Secretary to the CM, Education Secretary, Local Government Secretary, S&G Administration Secretary, commissioner, PSO to Qaim Ali Shah, Jamshoro DC Abdul Rasheed Zardari, Taluka Hospital Moro, Executive Engineer PHE Muhammad Anwar Solangi, Mukhtiarkar Kandiaro, Mukhtiarkar Bhirya, Mukhtiarkar Moro, Mukhtiarkar Naushero Feroz, Mukhtiarkar Sakrand, Jacobabad SSP, Jamshoro SSP, Kashmore SSP, Matayari SSP, Naushero Feroz DC, ADC-I Naushero Feroz, ADC-II Naushero Feroz, AC Kandiaro, AC Revenue Bhirya, AC Revenue Moro, AC Revenue Naushero Feroz, DEO Naushero Feroz, Health DHO Dr Ali Gohar, Kandiaro DSP, Moro DSP, Foods Sukkur Director, DSP Naushero Feroz, EDO Education Allah Bachayo Khaskheli, EDO Education Bhirya, EDO Education Kandiaro, EDO Education Mahrabpur, EDO Education Moro, EDO Education Naushero Feroz, EDO Education Razi Khan Jamali, MS Taluka Hospital Kandiaro, SSPs of district Mirpurkhas, Naushero Feroz, Nawabshah, Shikarpur, Tando Allah Yar, Tharparkar, Umerkot, Kashmore, SP Ghulam Sarwar Abro, SP Security-II Rizwan Soomro, DSP Bhirya, SHO Kandiaro, SHO Kotri, SHO Sakrand and SHO.
Sources privy to the development told Pakistan Today that the powerful bureaucrats were enjoying the protocols and allegedly influencing the poll process. Those reshuffled includes the chief secretary, home secretary, city commissioner and few others who were not included in the list.
