Press talk: Division of Sindh is impossible, says Sharmila

SUKKUR:

In response to Mutahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain's demands of dividing Sindh, Sindh chief minister's special assistant for culture Sharmila Farooqi said that Sindh's division is impossible.

Speaking to the media during her visit to the under-construction cultural complex in Sukkur on Monday, she said her forefathers settled in Sindh after migrating from India and that her mother hails from Thatta. "We love Sindh as a motherland because it has given us recognition and therefore we could never think of dividing our motherland," she remarked.

If the people who migrated from India to Pakistan made sacrifices, then the people who welcomed them with open arms also made sacrifices, she added. "I am proud to be a Sindhi and will always remain so."

The construction of the cultural complex in Sukkur started in 2007 and was meant to be completed by 2010 with an estimated cost of Rs44 million but, unfortunately, it could not be finished within the stipulated time, she pointed out. Due to the delay, its cost has gone up to Rs99 million. She was hopeful that the complex will be completed soon after the funds were released. The cultural complex consists of a museum, library and auditorium and will provide a good venue for the residents of Sukkur for cultural activities, she said.

Political matters

On the resignations of MQM legislators, she said that they have exercised their right by doing so and that there are also good people in the MQM. Altaf Hussain's statements against the Pakistan Army hurt every Pakistani, according to Farooqi. She claimed that MQM leaders often face difficulties while defending their leader for his controversial statements.

The Karachi operation is a targeted operation against criminals and is being done under the leadership of the chief minister, she claimed, adding that her party has never objected to the operation in Lyari because they knew that it was being done right.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 18^th, 2015.