BADIN: Former home minister Dr Zulfiqar Mirza, who has distanced himself from the Pakistan Peoples Party and been away from active politics for several years, on Tuesday presided over what the party called the ‘People’s Court’ outside the Badin deputy commissioner office as part of an aggressive campaign against corruption by holders of public office.

A large number of people, most of them PPP supporters, attended the proceedings as the party had announced the programme a couple of weeks ago. They came fully prepared as complaints against the deputy commissioner, assistant commissioners, mukhtiarkars, senior police and other officials were made without any fear.

One of the most influential agriculturists of the district, Dr Mirza in his unique style vowed to get them justice and called out the DC, Rafique Quraishi, ACs and revenue officials concerned and made them listen to public grievances and resolve them immediately.

He made it clear to the officials that they were bound to look into public complaints and resolve their issues, besides efficiently doing the work for which they were being paid.

He shouted at the officials several times while chiding them for failing to dispose of cases for years. Along with local PPP activists and complainants, Dr Mirza walked into the office of the deputy commissioner and some other government offices to warn officers and workers of legal action if they continued with their corrupt practices, negligence and slackness any more.

“We are not here to stage a sit-in or protest. We are here to make you discharge your duties promptly and efficiently which you have not been doing for long. And you will have to,” he roared while seeking replies from some of the senior officials against public complaints of corruption.

“The people of Badin are sick of certain officials because of massive corruption that had taken roots in public departments and bure­­au­crats offices,” he said, and assured the aggrieved people of his and PPP’s active support in getting their issues resolved. Many of the complainants at the people’s court said certain officials within the administration charged money for getting their legal work done. They said that anyone visiting the DC office and other government departments, especially the revenue and local government departments, to get a legal work done had to pay bribes.

A woman stated that the land revenue record had not been updated for long and this was causing piling up of cases relating to corrections, transfer and sale/purchase of properties and other matters. She said the record was not being updated deliberately to mint money from applicants by raising various objections. She claimed that she had to pay Rs50,000 as bribe to get her mutation case settled.

Some other people alleged that a huge amount of public money was being pocketed in the name of development schemes, which had never been executed or abandoned half-way.

Dr Mirza along with the complainants and PPP supporters sat in the open sky outside the DC office for two hours and intermittently poured scorn on corrupt officials in a very aggressive mood often offending the DC and other officials but no attempt was made to respond to the allegation of corruption against most government functionaries posted in Badin district.

PPP sources said that as soon as Dr Mirza sat among the people, all senior officials present in the DC office complex took to their heels. However, after listening to people’s woes, a furious Dr Mirza called out the DC, ADCs, muktiarkars and other responsible revenue officials and officers of various government departments. He walked into several offices hurling warnings at some officials present there and insisted that all issues that could be resolved today be disposed of at once.

He accused the DC and his deputies of indulging in corruption and encouraging other officials to mint money from the public. At one stage, the DC tried to refute the allegation but preferred to back out submitting to Dr Mirza’s aggressive mood.

Dr Mirza repeatedly vowed to cleanse the district of corrupt officials and provide complete relief to the people of Badin. “I have brought Rs1.5 million and if any official has the courage to demand a bribe for getting his work done, they should come forward and I will pay him the money,” he said.

Later, speaking to the media, he defended whatever he did at the people’s court and in the DC office complex, saying: “I have my own style of serving PPP voters and the people. He said he was still with the PPP and would remain in the party.”

He said PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari was equally concerned over massive corruption and other menaces in Sindh.

“Enough is enough,” he warned, and said every elected representative of the PPP would have to play his role in providing relief to the masses.

Badin DC Rafique Quraishi, talking to Dawn later, rejected all allegations levelled against him by Dr Mirza. He said he was ready to face accountability, adding that he had never been involved in corruption nor did he encourage his subordinates to indulge in corruption.

Meanwhile, the PPP district leadership has announced that similar people’s courts would be convened fortnightly at the same place if the district administration failed to provide relief to the people of Badin.

Published in Dawn, November 19th, 2014