DADU, Jan 12: A row between the district government of Dadu and the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) personnel has intensified with either side sticking to their guns. The district government was seeking transfer of the Circle Officer (CO) of ACE, Mohammad Azam Baloch from Dadu, while the senior officials of the ACE have jumped into the fray by justifying the raids against corrupt officials in the district.

Differences between the officials of the district administration, backed by the DCO and the district nazim, cropped up after arrest of Mohammad Suleman Solangi, an assistant of the DCO office, Dadu, a tapedar Abdul Shakoor Rahujo and Kotar Gul Hassan Babar by the ACE man during which tainted currency notes were also recovered from their possession.

The Dadu DCO, Aijaz Ahmed Mangi, through a written communication to the ACE high-ups on Friday, demanded ouster of the Circle Officer of ACE, Mohammad Azam Baloch, from the district for “creating problems in smooth functioning of the district government.”

Officials of the district government departments including DCO, revenue, education, works and services and district council suspended their work and took out a rally from the DCO office which marched up to the press club on the second consecutive day on Friday to protest arrest of DCO secretariat man and the revenue officials.

They staged a demonstration at DPO chowk, causing suspension to vehicular traffic for five hours during which tyres were were also burnt.

They were led by office-bearers of Sindh Tapedar Association district Dadu, Ayaz Ahmed Panhwar, Nooruddin Leghari, Mehmood Ali Memon, Bakhshal Langah, Mumtaz Ali Khokhar, Malik Allah Bux and Wazir Ahmed Soomro.

The district naib nazim, Syed Mohammad Shah, arrived there and assured them of redressal of their grievances but the protesters refused.

When contacted the Director of ACE Sindh, A.D.Khwaja, told Dawn by telephone from Karachi that the ACE was functioning independently under the Sindh government. He categorically stated that the ACE officials were not subservient to the district nazims.

He said that they were required to obtain permission from their superiors adding that raids on DCO and other offices were conducted under the supervision of concerned magistrates. He justified the raids and said that the current ACE Circle Officer,

Mohammad Azam Baloch, would not be transferred on the insistence of the district government or the DCO. He said that he had kept informed the chairman of the ACE Sindh, Mr Asad Asharf Malik, about the entire scenario.

The CO said that the District Nazim of Dadu, Karim Bux Jatoi, warned him on telephone and asked him not to conduct raids on offices of the district government without his prior permission.

Both the district nazim and the DCO rejected allegations of the CO.

APPEAL: The PML young wing leaders, including Mir Sikandar Chandio, Ali Akbar and Ali Raza Solangi and leaders of Citizen Action committee, while extending their support to the ACE official, appealed to Sindh chief minister and Chairman ACE not to transfer him from the district.