When a government vehicle meant for price‑control ends up in a desert rally, the public does not just see a broken SUV – it sees a breach of trust that costs the taxpayer more than fuel. The Punjab government’s decision to transfer Deputy Commissioner Babar Sahib Din on 25 October 2026, documented in an official notification (No.S1.2‑2/2026) signed by the Governor’s office, was presented as swift justice. Yet the circumstances that triggered it – a PERA double‑cabin spotted in the Jhang Thal rally – reveal a pattern of casual asset‑misuse, selective punishment and a glaring lack of transparent investigation.
The transfer order in plain sight
The notice, reproduced in the image circulated on X, reads in full: “MR. BABAR SAHIB DIN (PAS/BS‑18), Deputy Commissioner, Jhang is hereby transferred, with immediate effect and directed to report to Services & General Administration Department, Government of the Punjab… BY ORDER OF THE GOVERNOR OF THE PUNJAB ZAHID AKHTAR ZAMAN CHIEF SECRETARY.” The document bears the Punjab emblem, a reference number and the signature of Section Officer Muhammad Fayyaz. Its date – 25 Oct 2026 – matches the day the rally video went viral.
Crucially, the order uses the term *transfer* rather than *removal* or *dismissal*. In administrative practice a transfer can be a routine rotation or a punitive reassignment; the distinction matters because a transfer does not automatically strip an officer of benefits or reputation. The public discourse on X quickly labelled the move a “removal”, but the official language leaves room for ambiguity. Without a complementary disciplinary order, the transfer alone does not constitute a full answer to the alleged misconduct.
PERA’s own warning, a year earlier
Adding weight to the allegation of misuse is a PERA directive dated 21 Oct 2025. The scanned memo, signed by Director‑General Capt. Farrukh Atiq Khan (Retd.), warns: “MISUSE OF PERA DOUBLE CABIN VEHICLE… it has been observed that PERA Double Cabin Vehicles issued to your good offices for PERA field operations exclusively, are being engaged in unauthorized activities… retrieve/withdraw official vehicles of PERA from any unauthorized allocation.” The memo proves that the problem of vehicle misallocation was on PERA’s radar a year before the Jhang incident. Yet the only public response has been the transfer of one bureaucrat, not a systematic audit of PERA’s fleet or a review of the policy that permits such hand‑overs.
Maryam Nawaz’s tweet: allegation, not proof
Former minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif amplified the story on X, claiming that a PERA double‑cabin was “spotted in the Jhang Desert Rally, far from its official duties”. Her post also announced the immediate dismissal of the DC, which, as we have seen, was in fact a transfer. The tweet provides no video, no registration plates, no official PERA statement – only a snapshot of the rally and a copy of the transfer notice. In the absence of independent verification – police reports, PERA’s own press release, or a court filing – the claim remains an allegation, however politically potent.
That does not mean the allegation is false; it simply means the public cannot assess the full scope of the misuse without a transparent inquiry. The danger lies in allowing a single tweet to become the de‑facto record of a government scandal, especially when the same platform is used to launch political attacks on opponents, as seen in unrelated accusations of personal jet usage made by other users.
