KARACHI:
We will not let anybody divide Sindh, pledged elected representatives as they adopted a resolution condemning recent talk about the creation of a so-called Mohajir province within the territories of Sindh.
Emotionally charged MPAs, mostly belonging to the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party, expressed their annoyance and concern over the re-surfacing of this Mohajir sentiment that has turned up on walls, in posters and pamphlets in Karachi.
Though adopted unanimously at the Sindh Assembly session here on Friday, the resolution was, however, not signed by any of the members belonging to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM).
Sassui Palijo of the PPP, who had brought up the issue before the House, said that the demand for a Mohajir province had no basis. “It is a conspiracy that will lead to ethnic riots and a civil war,” she said asking the federal interior ministry and the provincial home department to look into the matter to ascertain who was responsible for the graffiti.
In a veiled reference to MQM and Urdu-speaking people, Palijo said “I want to make it clear to ‘our brothers’ that Pakistan’s boundaries are sacred to us. No one is in favour of the division of Sindh and we will not accept any mischief.”
The resolution, which was moved by Nusrat Seher Abbasi, demanded the government expose who was behind it and take action against them.
“I don’t see any political party backing the movement,” said an impassioned Sassui Palijo. “If [this is the case], then the government should expose the [people] behind it.” And then, at an even higher emotional pitch she said: “No son of man has the guts to try and divide Sindh into two.”
But aside from the graffiti, the house also noted that a demonstration by a “Mohajir Sooba Tahreek” took place outside the Karachi Press Club on March 6. Some people were chanting “Shaher hamara, jungle tumhara” in incendiary words referring to how the ‘Mohajirs wanted Karachi’ and the ‘jungle’ or rural Sindh could go to the rest of the people.
Nusrat Seher Abbasi and Marvi Rashidi of the PML-Q, Shazia Marri, Sassui Palijo, Humera Alwani, Saleem Khurshid Khohar of the PPP, Arif Mustafa Jatoi of the NPP, were among the signatories.
“The MQM has nothing to do with this movement,” said MQM’s MPA Aamir Moin Pirzada, arguing that people had rejected this idea by voting the PPP and MQM into power. He did suggest, however, that leaders sat down with the people behind this movement to tackle their demands.
But afterwards, the PPP’s Humera Alawani and Sassui Palijo discarded this suggestion of talking to groups, who they called “criminals”. “It would have been better had the MQM members signed the resolution,” they said, while speaking to the media in the post-session briefing.
“Why should we talk to these people? These demands have not come from the indigenous people of Sindh, the people who live here,” said Palijo. She said this couldn’t be compared to calls from the Seraiki belt in Punjab to become a separate province, which has received support from Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, because historically it was a separate area.
Alwani said they would be bringing up signatures with the chief minister as well.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 10th, 2012.
COMMENTS (32)
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Do away with the rural /urban quota system. End of story.
Urdu speaking people are feeling deprived because they don't have control over police and administration of Karachi, so I would say Local bodies election in Karachi is the answer of all this unrest so that Karachities will feel that they are part of this system in some way.
I am so annoyed to see that overall, Pakistan is still failing to recognize MQM as the major party of Karachi. Besides, these PPP feudals and Wadera class are the same who want to divide Panjab. Why not Sind? especially when the Karachiite Sindhis want it?
it is enough that refuges (Mohajirs) have got the status of permanent residents of Karachi as well as Pakistan. They should be thankful to Sindhis on it and avoid pacing beyond this otherwise the situation as stated by the culture minister could trigger the "Civil War".
There is not much difference between the ethnic groups of Sindh. Zardari was nominated by the MQM and PPP is still strongly supported by its allies including MQM and ANP. It is in their own interst to work together and they have realized that long ago. All citizens of Sindh are equal no exceptions.
@Chilli True I support This Let PTI Come To Power I Dont Like curvy curves of 4 provinces it will be better to have equal land and straight Square boundaries and 16 provinces Named United States of Pakistan.Well i think this is a US type name so all sixteen provinces will work hard towards development and try to COMPETE with USA
there should be more than one province within karachi let alone sindh. People should stop these waderas from fooling them, sindhis are suffering not because of mohajirs but because of the slavery that wadera system has imposed on them and PP is one party that has its roots on wadera system
Mohajirs have played crucial role in development of Karachi and if they demand a new province whats wrong in it? and certainly extension in quota system has fueled the anger in Urdu speaking people.
Define Sindhi.
Are they a particular unique race? or people born in Sindh are also called SIndhis?
MQM has no right to have dialogues with criminals. There is a huge majority of Pashtoons and Sindhis in Karachi. MQM is actually misguiding and 'using' my urdu speaking brothers and sisters!
i am a MQM worker and mohajir myself i oppose mohajir province we are proud to be sindhis
@pakistani: The situation of Sindh is different from other provinces (i) Siraikis are part of Punjab province but historically they live on the land which belongs to them since centuries and they have not encroached the land of Punjab. Bahawalpur was never part of Punjab; it was annexed to Punjab after the fall of One Unit. Hazara area or Dera Ismail Khan was never historical part of Pakhtoonkahwah. Infact when British colonized this area, they mixed them up.
Sindhis live on their historical land since ages, the great civilization of Moen jo daro is one example of our roots. Our elders struggled for a freedom from British rule and they believed that as per 1940 resolution, they would be sovereign state of new federation; all their cultural, traditional, historical, financial and social rights will be preserved. It’s never mentioned in any document that Sindh alone has to bear the burden of major influx of refugees, their rehabilitation and welfare. Today refuges live in urban Sindh and they live better life than indigenous population but again if they feel deprived and demand for new province, which is their sheer selfishness and narrow approach. Karachi belongs to Sindh and Sindhis. It is named mini Pakistan to loot its resources in the name of "Pakistan". Make Lahore "Mini Pakistan" please and take people from Karachi. Sindh should demand that as per what LAW, major chunk of refuges was made to settle in Sindh. All federating units should take equal share of burden and those refugees who are not ready to own Sindh, they should be adjusted in other provinces. Sindh cannot afford bunch of ungrateful people who conspire against territorial integrity of Sindh and not ready to own Sindh, Sindhi people, culture, language and land.
This is the first News Agency who claiming that MQM's MPs didn;t sign on the resolution while each & every News Agency reported that MQM supported this resolution after that It was passed by SA unanimously. Mohajir Province launched after the discrimination against Mohajirs in Sindh. Quota system demolishes the relation b/w Sindhis & Mohajirs. Sindh is divided into Urban & rural, But We observed majority of portfolios are given to Rural as compare to Urban. Quota system prefers first Rural then Urban, What's it? That's why Mohajir asking for the province.
Ground reality is that Pakistan need to be divided to 16 provinces 4 per existing provinces to convert it to United States of Pakistan. This will be a great boost for the citizens as each zone will compete with other for development. There is no need of provincial assemblies as each zone are suggested to send 20 members each to form a parliament. This will be a great achievement if we want to save Pakistan. We should come out of sons of land theory as India our neighborhood experimented new provinces successfully. The same is true for UAE where all units work closely for the betterment of the country.
Pakistan should be divided into multiple autonomous states / provinces.
@ sick of this non-sense, so how exactly the group is non-indigenous?? By the way I am totally against this Muhajir sooba, Although I do favor cutting down the size of province which is extremely large, Pakistan has the biggest provinces in the world, so based on administrative issues Pakistan should have atleast 10-14 provinces.
pretty clear MQMs intentions - arent they!?
Told you so MQM is supporting & demanding other provinces in Punjab and Hazara so that they have the ground to demand for Mohajir Province.The party is playing a dirty game.!!!
Problem is with PPP and Sindhis who don't want to accept Muhjahirs as Sindhis if they accept them as Sindhis and equal all the problem will resolve and nobody ask for separate province. PPP and Sindhis themselves divided Sindh into Urban and Rural in 1973 and impose Quota system to consolidate their rule and sew the seed of ethnic hatred in sindh. It is worth noting PPP never adopt resolution against Sindhu Desh never call people who are asking for sindhu desh criminals nor condemn graffiti of Sindhu Desh similarly most recently Afaq Ahmed of MQM Haqiqi ask for separate Province who is granted Leader of Muhajirs by Zulfiqar Mirza but no resolution no statement by PPP or anyone else nor PPP called him Criminal for asking Province. dawn.com/2011/12/21/afaq-wants-province-in-south-sindh.html
Its all double standards and in 2012 nobody in naive or fool nor anyone can be scared with calls of violence and bloodshed. PPP can fool Poor sindhis who are still living in miserably conditions thanks to their again and again vote to PPP but can't fool educated class of Urban Sindh, Punjab and Pakistan
@Syed: Kindly dont twist the words. It was said about the group not ethnicity. Sindh is the banner that is keeping Karachi relatively safe from ethnic riot. If there is a movement as such Pathans, Sindhis, Balochis & Muhajirs will be at each others necks like rabid animals.
it has alway been fashionable and socially acceptable to ridicule and hurl invectives at punjab,that's why some sindh based parties have been most active in aggressively and publicly lobby for dividing up puinjab but as soon as the muhajir community just mentioned a province of their own,they faced open threats,intimidation,threats of violence. why these double standards? if dividing up punjab and KPK is okay,then so is dividing up sindh okay.
I have seen alot of comment that new provinces should not be created on ethnic basis. All those that are already created should be abolished and reorganized with administrative division. Sounds illogical? Yes it is absolutely absurd. If it cant be for old provinces then cant be for new provinces. The very base of it will be language spoken; we like it or not, that is the reality.
Sindh - Karachi = Almost Nothing
Sassi Palijo we as Punjabis don't speak to divide Sindh, why do you have to tell us to divide Punjab. Is this not pure hypocracy, Divide Punjab but not Sindh.
So,ppp is calling the muhajir sooba tehreek criminals to whom nobody should talk,then why does it insist so louldy on talking and negotiating with the criminals killing people and blowing up state infrastructure in balochistan? if the peaceful demands for muhajir sooba in sindh are called 'criminal' then why the love for those murdering ppl and blowing up gas pipelines in balochistan?
currently, most of sindh is rural. and almost the whole of the rural sindh is in the clutches of waderas and landlords, who have enslaved the people. they sit in assemblies, why would they support the division? that would be equal to sacrificing their grip over the poor oppressed masses???????
Last time I remember Pakistan was a free country. Those MPA's should know the meaning of "freedom of speech" and "freedom of expression"
That means PPP still doesnt consider the Urdu speaking population born and bred in Sindh as equals, ???
I believe in the creation of further provinces in pakistan, including newer ones in Sind, but this demand of a mohajir province is actually unacceptable. No province should be divided on ethnic basis. This will create civil war not just within provinces but also across pakistan. PPPs rooster of dividing Punjab based on ethnicity has come back to bite them!
Karachi is the logical capital of Pakistan and should not be a part of Sind. Being a part of Sind hold's back Karachi's development.
Some people want to destabilize Sindh through airing Sindhi-Mohajir divide and they seem to be behind it. MQM is also exposed as they didnt sign this resolution. Sindh gave those refugees every thing, shelter, food, jobs and better life in urban city but their selfishness has no end and they are playing in wrong hands to divide Sindh. We still consider them as our Sindhi, Muslim and Pakistani brothers but if they wont stop their negative designs against Sindh, they will face wrath of people of Sindh. People of Sindh will never tolerate all those people who are conspiring against the land of Sindh. Wish sanity prevail and brotherhood between Sindhis and Mohajirs prevail.