UMERKOT: Sindh Minister for Culture and Tourism Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah on Friday visited historic Umerkot fort in disguise and found tourists were being forced to pay illegal entry fee without being issued receipts.

He took immediate action against the extortionists and had a criminal case filed against the suspects, Shaukat Ali, Abdul Aziz and Abdul Majeed, under Sections 406 (criminal breach of trust) and 420 (cheating) of the Pakistan Penal Code, for charging tourists illegal entry fees without issuing them receipts.

The case was registered on a complaint lodged by the fort’s incharge, Muhammad Sharif Kunbhar.

The minister arrived alone at the fort and in disguise earlier on Friday to assess conditions at the fort. During his inspection, the suspects demanded from him Rs200 as the entry fee but failed to hand him a receipt.

The minister ordered immediate arrest of two employees and later their incharge was suspended for mismanagement, ignoring departmental orders and enabling unauthorised fee collection from visitors.

When the visitors found the minister among them, they gathered round him and lodged multiple complaints against the fort’s administration, alleging poor facilities, harassment, and routine overcharging.

Talking to Dawn on condition of anonymity, a visitor questioned the FIR’s legitimacy. “Sharif Kunbhar has been serving as incharge of the fort for a long time. It is absurd to think he didn’t know how his employees were operating. He is accused of using subordinates to collect illegal fees.

“The poorly dressed employees compared to his [the incharge’s] well-kept attire suggests the extorted money was going into his pocket. How can the employees collect illegal fees without the incharge’s orders? He should have been booked instead of the poor workers,” he said.

Sources said that two private persons – Maqbool Ahmad Kunbhar and a schoolteacher, Abid Bhatti, had allegedly been collecting illegal parking fees inside the fort premises for the past five years.

Speaking to media persons after the surprise inspection, the minister reiterated his zero-tolerance policy. “I will never tolerate negligence or corruption. If tourists face any inconvenience at any site, those responsible will be suspended immediately,” he said.

He vowed making similar unannounced inspections of cultural and heritage sites across Sindh.

The Umerkot fort has long drawn criticism over its upkeep and management.

Published in Dawn, August 16th, 2025