Life in Karachi returned to normal on Wednesday after seven days of unrest and six days of complete closure of banking and other financial and commercial institutions. During these days of unrest in the city articles of daily use had virtually disappeared from the market, and all means of communication had come to a standstill.
With the resumption of normal activities, government offices opened, and attendance showed that, except those few who were on genuine leave, all attended to their routine functions. However, sources said that Secretaries and departmental heads mostly discussed the obtaining political situation in the country and assessed the consequence of administrative decisions affecting one or the other political party, if taken before the elections were over.
The accumulation of files work in different offices was seen, to which sources termed as "usual". There was reluctance in the disposal of files in agriculture, irrigation, revenue and education departments where many officers are at various stages of inquiries and many are about to be placed under suspension for different charges.
Sources said that the caretaker Chief Minister, a former Justice, Abdul Qadir Halepota had instructed departmental heads to go slow and to be careful in initiating actions against their staff till political situation in the province normalised.
They said that the chief minister and ministers of the outgoing cabinet were still exerting pressure in such cases where political mileage seemed possible. Citing example, sources said that names were being considered for transfers and postings in upper Sindh districts, such as Shikarpur and Jacobabad where old friends and relatives were in direct contest against one another.
They said that police officials were also likely to be "readjusted" in some districts, considered as difficult for the PMLs (Q and F). At the same time, opposition parties, including PPP, have said that they would resist any further attempt to "readjust" officials anywhere in the province.
Sources said that charges of laxity have been labelled against law enforcement personnel at some places where PPP workers were roughed up and booked for different offences during the recent disturbances in the province. "A committee is being set up to look into these charges," they added.
About scarcity of articles of daily use in the city and artificial increase in prices they said that the situation would improve in a day or two. "Arrangements are being made to protect the transport carrying goods from different places to Karachi. Once the supply chain improves, prices would come down and shortage of goods would disappear," they added.
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