ISLAMABAD,: The Election Commission (ECP) on Thursday ordered the caretaker Sindh government to immediately transfer 65 bureaucrats against whom it had received specific complaints that they had a soft corner for the Peoples Party and its coalition partners in the outgoing provincial government.

The list features pillars of officialdom like the chief secretary, secretaries of the departments of home, education and local government as well as Services and General Administration, and principal secretary to the chief minister.

The commission asked the Sindh government, as well as all other caretaker governments, to comply immediately with its April 2 directive and replace the individuals named in that letter with such officers as will inspire confidence among all stakeholders.

The commission noted with disapproval that Sindh had done nothing to comply with its earlier directive requiring all caretaker governments to transfer bureaucrats who were not regarded as impartial.

The ECP recalled that it was made clear to all governments that if they wanted to retain a certain official (named in the April 2 communication) because he enjoyed a good reputation, they could do so and intimate the decision to the commission.

The previous order also required governments to assess whether chairpersons and chief executives of all autonomous, semi-autonomous and state-owned bodies, heads of police, CCPOs, city commissioners, DCOs, DPOs, SHOs, patwaris and EDOs were “independent individuals” and transfer those who did not meet the criteria.

It was the duty of the commission to ensure a level-playing field for all candidates so that free and fair elections can be held, the ECP asserted.

Moreover, the ECP added, caretaker governments should try to ensure that they did not only act with neutrality but also were seen to be neutral.

DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION: The list of officers sent to the Sindh government for transfer also named the deputy commissioners of Naushahro Feroze and Jamshoro.

The police officers against whom action was desired include the deputy inspector general of Larkana and senior superintendents of police (SSPs) in Jacobabad, Jamshoro, Kashmore, Matiari, Mirpurkhas, Naushahro Feroze, Nawabshah, Shikarpur, Tando Allahyar, Tharparkar and Umerkot.

The list mentions two superintendents of police, including Ghulam Sarwar Abro and Rizwan Soomro by name. It also includes DSPs of Kandiaro, Moro and Bhirya and SHOs of Kandiaro, Kotri, Sakrand and Tharushah and police post in charge Dhamelo.

Others on the list are personal staff officer to the former chief minister, sub-divisional magistrate of Sakrand, executive director of the Public Health Engineering (PHE) Mohammad Anwar Solangi, district education officer of Naushahro Feroze, and district health officer Dr Ali Gohar, director foods, Sukkur, executive district officers education of Bhirya, Kandiaro, Mahrabpur, Moro and Naushahro Feroze.

INTERIOR MINISTER: Meanwhile, the ECP sent a letter to caretaker Prime Minister Mir Hazar Khan Khoso, seeking ‘appropriate action’ against Interior Minister Malik Habib Khan for making a statement in support of PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif in a recent TV interview.

The letter said the commission was under constitutional obligation to organise and conduct the elections and to make such arrangements as are necessary to ensure that elections are conducted honestly, justly, fairly and in accordance with the law.

“The matter can damage this noble national cause as it is against the mandate and purpose of setting up interim governments primarily meant for ensuring conduct of free and fair elections,” it added.