NAWABSHAH, April 26: District council members belonging to the Awam Dost Panel and activists of People’s Party Parliamentarians staged a rally and observed a sit-in against the DCO on Thursday demanding of the government to remove him immediately.

The rally started its march from the district council building and terminated in front of the district nazim secretariat after passing through Mohini Bazaar, Chakra Bazaar, Katchehry Road and Press Club Road. The protesters also observed a sit-in and blocked the road to the secretariat.

The administration had deployed heavy contingent of police along the rally’s route.

MPA Ghulam Qadir Chandio, Ziaul Hassan Lanjar, Noor Nawaz Zardari, Sohrab Khan Mari and Imdad Dhamrah accused the DCO Ahmed Bux Khokhar of disobeying the orders of district nazim and complained that the DCO had caused the work on the development schemes to come to a standstill because he was not releasing funds.

They said that even the needy persons who received stipends from Baitul Maal and Zakat funds were deprived of their emoluments as the DCO had not yet processed their applications.

They said that the DCO was not relieving the EDO of finance and planning who had been transferred by Sindh government a month ago and deliberately sent him to a council meeting, which triggered uproar.

They said that District Nazim Faryal Talpur was an elected representative of people and wanted to work for the betterment and prosperity of the district while the bureaucracy wanted to bring down the system.

They threatened that if the DCO was not transferred within 24 hours they would step up their protest, observe hunger strikes and stage demonstrations.

They demanded that the Sindh government immediately transfer the DCO and post an honest officer in his place who could perform his duties in a professional manner.

The protesters were led by District Naib Nazim Abdul Haq Jamali, MPA and district PPP president Ghulam Qadir Chandio, taluka PPP president Ziaul Hassan Lanjar, general secretary Imdad Dhamrah, Daur PPP president Syed Bagh Ali Shah, Daur Taluka Nazim Khurram Yar Mohammad Brohi, Sakrand Taluka Nazim Syed Ali Shah, Nawabshah Taluka Naib Nazim Khan Bahadur Bhatti, former taluka nazim Ali Akbar Jamali, Ms Qamar Dhamrah and Iffat Rubab Zardari.

Meanwhile, members of Nawabshah taluka council passed a resolution against the DCO demanding his immediate transfer.

A member Sattar Qureshi tabled the resolution pointing out that the DCO had attitude problem. He had withheld funds for development works and created hurdles for the district nazim, he said.

He said that the DCO always used the name of chief minister saying that he had stopped him from doing works. The resolution was supported by Chaudhry Zafar Iqbal of MQM-backed Haq Parast Group and other members including Soof Zardari, Zulfiqar Ali Rind, Sohrab Khan Chandio, Mukhtar Hussain Khokhar and Muharram Khaskheli.