UMERKOT, July 27: No head of a government department — particularly deputy commissioner (former DCO) and superintendent of police — has been able to survive in the district for more than two months due to tug of war going on between political big-wigs, leaving official business of the district in doldrums.

Umerkot district remained in the headlines during last three years due to frequent transfer of DCOs and DPOs.For the last couple of years, the district bureaucracy had been experiencing a tricky scenario where one official took charge with his reliever flexing his muscle to push him out and occupy the coveted position.

An official is ousted from his office while he was in the process of understanding the people, staff and the problems.

Due to this practice, people of Umerkot suffered a lot, their genuine work delayed, as mostly officials were seen shuffling between Umerkot and Karachi to protect their seat.

According to Allah Bachayo Asseer, president of Umerkot taluka chapter of the Pakistan People’s Party, PPP, this practice has tarnished the image of the party.

This practice, he added, began with the transfer of DCO Ghulam Akbar Laghari. Abdul Majeed Pathan and then Saleem Raza Khuhro were posted on this position.

And Saleem Raza was even attacked and humiliated to leave the district, the PPP leader said.

Abdul Wahid Samoo, a concerned citizen, said that during this tenure of PPP more than eight DPOs were replaced.

He recalled that Sarwar Jamali, Abdul Hadi Bullo, Faizullah Korejo, Mohammad Ali Wassan, Haider Sultan, Munir Shaikh (In-charge), Akram Abro and Mohammad Ali Baloch were transferred in short periods and now Azeem Tunio is facing an inquiry as a privilege motion had been moved in Sindh Assembly, in which he was accused of misbehaving with the party workers.

The deputy commissioner is virtual head of the district and development and devolved departments are under his supervision. Besides education, health and agriculture departments are also supervised by him. He is also the principal accounting officer. How the departments would function smoothly when he was not allowed to stay for even a month.

And how the law and order system of the district would function properly when eight district police officers, who were supposed to enforce law, are transferred one after another, said a concerned citizen.

When contacted, Sindh minister Syed Ali Mardan Shah said that it was not his duty to get officials transferred or posted and shifted the onus of responsibility on the Sindh chief secretary without identifying the powers who forced the senior-most official of the province to act so quickly.

He agreed with this correspondent that quick reshuffling in the district bureaucracy had affected usual business of the district.

MPA of PPP Nawab Taimur Talpur said that MPAs do not get the officials transferred off and on adding that it was the prerogative of the home department and the chief minister. He said that one of the DPOs Azeem Tunio had crossed all limits and misused his authority as in one day he arrested 85 ‘innocent’ people, including PPP workers belonging to his and MPA Ali Murad Rajar’s constituency on which he, along with Mr Rajar and MPA Mir Mehboob Talpur, moved a privilege motion against him in the Assembly and also lodged a complaint with the IGP.