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Published 17 Apr, 2009 12:00am

Dadu nazim suspended on corruption charges

DADU, April 16 Following suspension of Dadu District Nazim Karim Ali Jatoi on corruption charges, police and revenue officials on Thursday sealed offices of the district nazim, naib nazim and the district council.

The Sindh chief minister has issued a notification of suspension of the district nazim for 90 days. Karim Jatoi is son of PML-Q leader Liaquat Ali Jatoi.

Use of delaying tactic in passing the district council's budget, unnecessary foreign visits for long duration and corruption charges have been cited as reasons for suspension of the nazim.

Dadu Mukhtiarkar Naeem Ahmed Vistro along with police sealed offices of the district nazim, Naib Nazim Syed Hussain Shah and Dadu district council. Policemen were deployed in and around council building.

Meanwhile, the PPP has decided to appoint its local leader and council member Saeed Ahmed Jamali as acting district nazim. Saeed Jamali is brother of State Minister for Food and Agriculture Rafiq Ahmed Jamali.

Rafiq Jamali and Sindh Education Minister Pir Mazharul Haq made the decision at a meeting held at the residence of one Datal Khan Jamali in Phulji village a few days ago. There are 79 members of the district council, of them 56 reportedly belong to Jatois-backed Panel and 23 to PPP-backed Awam Dost Panel.

Conflict between the district government officers and local PPP leaders and Karim Jatoi started over the district government's budget of this year.

Reports said that the director-general of the Local Government Commission had arrived in Dadu 10 days go, collected evidences against the district nazim. He recommended Karim Jatoi's suspension on different charges to Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah.

Sources said that the Anti-Corruption Establishment has received permission from the chief minister to investigate corruption charges against Karim Jatoi.

When contacted, Karim Jatoi said that he was a victim of political victimisation, and added that he enjoyed majority in the council as he 56 members out of the 79 supported him.

He alleged that the PPP government had managed to register a false case against Pir Gambal Shah, Oshak Janwari, Sikandar Soomro and other council members to pressurise them to change their loyalty. He said that he was suspended after the PPP failed to remove him from his office through vote of no-confidence.

Referring to an earlier incident, suspended naib nazim Hussain Shah said that official residence of the district nazim was occupied by the acting taluka nazim of Dadu two months ago and his own official residence was occupied by a union council nazim, Saeed Ahmed Jamali, with the support of the Mukhtiarkar and police a few days ago. Saeed Jamali said that the revenue department had allotted him the bungalow (used by the naib nazim).

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