KARACHI, March 5: The ongoing bickering between the provincial and city governments took a decisive turn on Wednesday when the Sindh government ordered transfer of some key officials serving in the city government.

While the provincial authorities termed the move ‘routine’, sources in the city government regarded the transfers as a bid to wrest control of the affairs from the city government.

The transferred officials are the EDO (Revenue) Javed Hanif, EDO (Finance) Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui, EDO (Education) Raees Alvi, and Secretary (Local Government) Muhammad Arif Azim.

They have remained associated with the city government ever since its birth. The system was introduced on Aug 14, 2001. The key officials had developed assimilation and good understanding besides working relationship with the City Nazim, Naimatullah Khan, who was chief of the Jamaat-i-Islami, Karachi, before his election to the Nazim’s office.

According to informed sources, these officials have been asked to report to the Services and General Administration Department. Their successors are Muhammad Hussain Syed (EDO Revenue), Iqbal Ahsan Zaidi (EDO Finance), Anwar Ahmad Zai (EDO Education) and Syed Anzar Zaidi (Secretary Local Government).

Insiders said that more transfers were on the card and named EDO (Works) Brig (r) Zaheer Quaderi and EDO (Health) Dr Nawaz Shaikh in this regard.

In his comments, the Naimatullah Khan told Dawn that the move was an evidence of interference in the local government affairs by the provincial government. He suggested that it was aimed at frustrating his efforts to improve services, increase basic facilities and carry out face-lifting work in the city. He said that his efforts were aimed at restoring peace and tranquillity in order to enable the city regain its past glory. “However, rest assured, I will continue to discharge my duties as the Nazim and the time will prove that I cannot be brow-beaten by such uncalled for moves,” he added.

He declared: “I have taken these responsibilities with commitment and will continue with them with the same zeal whatever official team is going to provide to the district government. I will see to it that all officials who are replaced and likely to be replaced are working with team spirit and discharging their duties to deliver goods to the people.”

It is learnt that the City Nazim, who apprehended interference by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), said that his relationship with the MQM grew tense when he criticized transfers of some SHOs, posted in the city, to the interior of Sindh without his consent. The transfer orders were issued by the home department which is headed by Syed Sardar Ahmad, belonging to the MQM.

The SHOs transferred were known for their ruthless execution of the then government’s policies to the extent that even they were accused of extra-judicial killings of suspected terrorists.

The Nazim, who is responsible for law and order under the devolution plan, had disapproved the transfers on the ground that he was not consulted. Some of the

In the wake of these transfers, some sensational incidents took place in the city. They included killing of a former MQM MPA Khalid bin Waleed and the horrible shooting incident at an Imambargah in Rifah-i-Aam Society where eight people were gunned down.

The strained relations between the provincial and city governments, with reference to the involvement of MQM, has been attributed to the domination of Jamaat-i-Islami in the local governments and that of MQM in the provincial set up. The JI domination was the result of the MQM’s boycott of local government elections. The boycott also provided other parties, like PPP, an opportunity to fill the gap. The JI managed to capture the Nazim’s post in Karachi.

The JI improved its image by taking full advantage of its domination in the city district government. Over the past 16 months, the JI is running the local government affairs smoothly and efficiently in almost all the towns.

It has successfully undertaken some of the key projects which had been haunting the city’s transport system for the last 30 years. They included uplift work at Numaish Chowrangi, Guru Mandir roundabout, Rashid Minhas Road, Nishtar Road, Nagan Chowrangi, Banaras Chowk and Five Star Chowrangi where worst traffic jam used to occur very frequently.

Its performance played a key role in promoting the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal which eventually captured 10 seats in the provincial assembly. The MMA’s achievement turn out to be a constant threat to the political inevitability of the MQM.

If this situation is allowed to persist, the MMA could become a real threat to the MQM in the next general elections as people would be looking towards the JI, instead of the MQM, for solving their day to day problems.

In the given situation, the role of Nazim in development activities and public dealing is in limelight. The role of legislators has been restricted to legislation and review of the governments’ performance. Similarly, appointments, transfers and postings in various physical development organizations, used to be domain of the provincial governments but now they have been devolved in the local governments. This has virtually made the offices of MNAs, MPAs and senators merely a ‘letter box’ and their activities have been restricted to legislation.

The LFO-2002, if not amended, could prove to be detrimental to the interest of those parties which had boycotted the local government elections, an insider opined.