MITHI, July 20: A councillor of Union Council Manjhthi and others on Saturday accused the Tharparkar district Zakat officials of embezzling Zakat funds in connivance with the chairmen of various local Zakat committees.

Talking to a group of journalists here on Saturday, the councillor, Union Council Manjhthi, Mohammad Qabool Junejo; Amin Mohammad Narejo, Mohammad Hingorjo, Talib Lanjo and others alleged that the officials of the district Zakat office, including Iqbal Keerio, Shaukat Panhwar, Daulat Rai and Haji, have embezzled a huge amount of Zakat funds in collusion with chairmen of local Zakat committees.

They said that consequently, a large number of deserving people, including widows, orphans, and disabled people, have remained deprived of Zakat and Ushr funds.

The councillor and other complainants demanded that the officials of the district Zakat office be transferred and a high-level inquiry be carried out against them.

PTCL: The Nazim, Union Council Jhirmirio, and residents of the Verhiar village, Diplo Tehsil, have urged the PTCL authorities to restore the telephone line of the area PCO, which has been cut off.

They said that its number had been allotted to an influential person.

In telegrams sent to the general manager, divisional engineer, telecommunications, Mirpurkhas, Mohanlal, Nazim, Union Council Jhirmirio, and other people have stated that a PCO having telephone number 232-71241 was installed in the Verhiar village in 1993, which continued functioning till some time back.

However, the SDO, VHF, Umerkot, closed the PCO and allotted its number to an influential person as a result of which the villagers had been deprived of the facility of PCO.

The Nazim and other villagers said that the PCO had been closed down on the behest of an influential person even though no government dues remained outstanding against it.

They demanded that an investigation should be ordered into the closure of the PCO.