MUZAFFARGARH, Jan 10: Up to 90 sweepers have challenged the writ of, what they call, ineffective Muzaffargarh district council, by holding a ‘session’ at the District Council Hall, vowing to end loadshedding and flour crisis provided they are given power of district nazim.

UC nazims when came to the district council hall on Wednesday to attend a session were taken aback when saw sweepers on their seats and senior sweeper Badruddin ‘presiding over the meeting’.

When asked why they were at the hall, their leader said since the council had become ‘powerless’ due to prolonged litigation and government’s tactics to fail ex-district nazim Abdul Qayyum Jatoi for his affiliation with the PPP, they deemed it fit to take the control of the council and run it in accordance with public wishes.

This caused furore among the UC nazims who forcibly removed the sweepers from the house. Later, when the session started, several nazims stood up and accused Tehsil Nazim Sardar Abad Dogar of “insulting” the house through sending sweepers to the hall.

They said as it was on the agenda of the session that the house condemn the tehsil nazim for using state machinery for PML-Q candidates for the Feb 18 elections.

The other agenda included a probe into allegations that DCO got commission for releasing development funds. The house demanded that the tehsil nazim beg pardon from the house for “insulting” it through sweepers. But on the occasion, tehsil nazim’s representative Sajid Gadi refused to say sorry.

Later, UC nazim Akram Chandia moved a resolution, saying DCO Akhtar Nazir Warraich took bribe from officials and contractors for releasing development funds. Another UC nazim, Muhammad Husain Chandia, alleged that the DCO had refused to meet him and other UC nazims. He demanded the DCO come to the house and explain his position. Acting District Nazim Allah Dad Khar said he had issued show cause notices to the DCO and all executive district officers for not attending the session. He said the sweepers had the backing of police and the tehsil nazim and he would take action against them.

About 55 UC nazims were present at the session as PML-Q nazims had boycotted the session ‘in solidarity with the tehsil nazim’. The session also offered fateha for PPP leader who died in a bomb blast in Rawalpindi on Dec 27.

Later talking to Dawn, the DCO denied allegations of corruption of ignoring UC nazims, saying that he was performing his duty in accordance with law. He said he was ready to see UC nazims at his office any time.

Former district nazim Mr Jatoi said even his two years as district nazim were a pain for him but during his tenure no one had dare to “insult” the house through “running it through sweepers”.