RAHIM YAR KHAN: The additional deputy commissioner general (ADCG) who is also administrator of the municipal committee (MC) has removed his personal secretary (PA) and in-charge of anti-encroachment cell from his post on corruption charges.

ADCG Irfan Anwar removed Waheed Sardar after a leak of an alleged audio of the latter, demanding bribes for opening of the sealed shops.

An inquiry had also been initiated into the charges against Waheed Sardar.

On Monday, Anjuman Tajiran President Azman Asghar Chaudhry while addressing the protesting shopkeepers levelled allegations against the ADCG.

Later, an FIR was registered against CAT leaders Azman Asghar, Haji Islam Noorani, Shauket Shauka, Muhammad Asif and Zafar Iqbal with 30 to 40 other shopkeepers by MC Land Officer Zeeshan Mazari with City A division police under sections of the Pakistan Penal Code.

On Tuesday, all these CAT leaders got interim bails from the court and the shopkeepers of different markets welcomed them with flowers.

On this occasion, Mr Chaudhry said, the MC staff sealed the shops. He said the traders were victimised because they had raised their voice against extortion.

The only purpose to seal the shops was getting extortion from the shopkeepers because in Ramazan, there is a rush of customers and more sales, he alleged. When traders won’t pay the money to MC employees, they start their accountability.

The trader leader said their union had provided all the videos of the MC employees and other officials to the deputy commissioner in which they were demanding money for opening the shops.

Islam Noorani said the union would eliminate the extortion of the MC employees in Rahim Yar Khan.

The leaders also demanded immediate transfer of the ADCG from Rahim Yar Khan.

MPA’S DEMAND: PPP MPA from PP-266 Sadiqabad, Mumtaz Chang, on the floor of Punjab Assembly demanded the recovery of three persons of Chak 146-P and Chak 149-P and two persons of Chak 20-NP of tehsil Sadiqabad who were kidnapped by Katcha gangs last week.

Mr Chang told this correspondent by mobile phone from Lahore that he had submitted a call attention notice on March 10 that three youths of his area had been kidnapped by the Katcha area robbers who demanded Rs30m ransom for their release. The gangs also kidnapped Tariq and Usman of Chak 20-NP and critically injured two motorcyclists.

Chang criticised the Punjab government and police, adding that they were involved in making the people robbers. He said the Punjab government did not take interest in development works of Rahim Yar Khan but it imposed robbers and corrupt police on them.

Published in Dawn, March 12th, 2025