Press "Enter" to skip to content

Sindhi nationalists intensify efforts for single platform

By Habib Khan Ghori  in The Dawn, Jan 21
KARACHI: Several Sindhi nationalist parties frustrated by what they view as a ‘change’ in the Pakistan People’s Party’s original agenda have intensified their efforts to form a single platform to launch a joint political struggle for the rights of the province and its people.

Shah Mohammad Shah, head of the Save Sindh Movement (SSM) — part of a five-party alliance — and Saleem Jan Mazari of the Sindh Awami Alliance told a press conference at the Karachi Press Club on Wednesday that they agreed to form the platform quickly and contest the upcoming local government elections jointly across Sindh. Pressing issues confronting Sindh were also discussed at length at a meeting held on Wednesday at the residence of the SSM chief.

The SSM groups together the Sindh Awami Tehreek, Sindh National Front, Sindh United Party, Sindh Taraqqi Pasand Party and Save Sindh Movement.

The meeting, they said, decided to bring other nationalist forces to the platform.

Mr Shah told journalists that several proposals on safeguarding the rights and interests of Sindh and its people were made by SAA leaders at the meeting and he would put up the set of proposals to a committee having representation of the SSM component parties for approval as the agenda of the proposed broader election alliance. The SAA leaders, he said, intended to convince leaders of all nationalist parties of Sindh to form such an alliance.

Regarding the perceived PPP policy shift, Mr Shah recalled that the PPP had been in the forefront of the Sindh-based parties’ struggle for the rights of the province before it reached the power corridors, but now it was subjecting the people of Sindh to excesses. The PPP, he said, had been opposing the greater Thal canal project for years while it was an opposition party but now when it was ruling over the country, it not only stopped opposing the project but also allocated Rs15 billion for the construction of the canal.

Salim Jan Mazari said water, Sindh’s rights over its resources and a fair census were some of the major issues confronting the province. “While wrong census figures have been registered with regard to the urban and rural population of Sindh, 60 per cent of the budget is being allocated to the 40 per cent urban population,” he claimed, adding that the 60 per cent rural population was given 40 per cent share in budgetary allocations. Double entries and omissions in the voters lists based on wrong census figures were also a major issue leading to the political exploitation of a majority of the Sindhi people.

He demanded that a fair census should be held under the supervision of the army and the judiciary.

In reply to a question, Mr Mazari said that “anyone living in Sindh is a Sindhi whatever his mother tongue may be.”

Welcoming the independence of the judiciary, the nationalist leaders lauded the Supreme Court’s recent judgments, particularly on the National Reconciliation Ordinance, and said this had rekindled the hope for the restoration of provinces’ rights.

Mujeeb Pirzada, Maqbool Shaikh, retired Capt Haleem Siddiqui, Irfanullh Marwat, Irfan Gul Magsi, Sardar Manzoor Panhwar, Sardar Ali Gauhar, Ali Mehar and Amanullah Talpur were among the others present at the press conference. http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/local/13+karachi-sindhi-nationalists-intensify-efforts-for-single-platform-110-za-02

Be First to Comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.