Karachi, Sept 4 : Several top ranking babus in Sindh danced to the tune of an anonymous caller who befooled them by saying that he was calling from Zardari House, that they had been transferred, and that they must send official vehicles to the airports to receive the new incumbents.

These (mush befooled) officials complied the “orders”, sent official vehicles to the airports, and kept waiting at their respective offices to hand over the charge to their successors. They realilsed that they were caught on the wrong foot when no new officer turned up at the airport.

The anonymous caller, who has not been nabbed yet, posed himself as an employee of the Zardari House.

Once it was clear that someone was playing tricks on these officials, the higher authorities were surprised over the foolish behaviour of these officers seeking to prove their “compliance” to verbal orders.

According to The News, they also raised questions as to how the administration could be run with such officers in the mix who possess “no judgment regarding fake and actual orders” even though they have been in the service for more than a decade and served on various important administrative posts.

The phone caller identified himself as one Yousuf Zardari and claimed to be the Zardari House in-charge. He told the officials on phone that they had been transferred, and also ordered them to send their official cars to the airport or any other place for the new DCOs, added the paper.

Accordingly, one DCO sent his car to the Sukkur airport and another DCO dispatched his vehicle to the Dadu-Hyderabad bypass and they waited for their successors till evening for handing over their charge. When the routine office timing ended and they hadn’t heard back from the ‘Zardari House’, these officers approached the Services and General Administration to know about their transfers.

Some other officers, including that of Excise and Taxation, also informed the authorities about such tactics used by a person posing as a Zardari House employee who befooled them in a similar manner. These officers, too, implemented the instructions and obliged him completely. Some of the officers even sent mobile phone credit and small amounts as bribe to stop their ‘transfers’. (ANI)