MUZAFFARGARH, April 3: The first session of the district assembly, after the general election, on Thursday saw union council nazims changing their affiliations and taking on the bureaucracy to vent their anger.

At the session with District Naib Nazim Ali Raza Shamsi in the chair, all union council nazims, even those earlier belonging to the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), claimed they were from the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) or the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). Seventy union council nazims attended the session.

Before the Feb 18 election, the PML-Q had a majority in the district assembly and the district nazim was also from the same party.

At the session, acting District Nazim Allahdad Khar accused executive district officers (EDOs) of committing corruption and sought their transfer from the district.

Khar, who said he had joined the PML-N, accused the EDO revenue of misappropriating Rs3 billion from the Revenue Department. He said the income from the Sardar Kaura Khan land had fallen from Rs10 million to Rs6,000 over the last three years.

He said the EDO (Education) Sultan Bhagaila had taken bribe for the transfer of teachers and made millions this way. He said the district officer for roads illegally distributed Rs34 million during the election. He said no body knew the fate of Rs2 million worth of schemes the former chief minister had announced durinh his visit to the district in October 2007.

EDOs for works and services and education, DO for finance and other official were also present.

When the district naib nazim asked Bhagaila about the ‘misuse’ of funds during the election, the latter said he had done so on the orders of the ‘higher authorities’. Bhagaila said next time he would oblige the PPP and the PML-N. DO (Roads) Mukhtar Ahmad said ‘higher authorities’ had told him not to carryout works in areas of PPP and PML-N union nazims.

Khar, who represented the PML-Q in the district assembly before the election, said he had joined the PML-N. He said Pervaiz Elahi had invited him to Lahore and Islamabad last month, but he refused to see him.

The district assembly also passed development projects worth Rs5 million each for 93 union councils.

Earlier, the house offered Fateha for Benazir Bhutto and praised her for her struggle for democracy.