Nationalist parties to kick off awareness campaign ahead of census

Seven public meetings held by parties to mark GM Syed's 112th birth anniversary

HYDERABAD: As the nationalist parties celebrated the 112th birth anniversary of nationalist leader GM Syed, they announced the start of an awareness campaign for the upcoming population and housing census.

The yearly event was organised in the rural town of Sann, Syed's resting place, in Jamshoro district on Sunday. Seven separate public meetings by Sindh United Party, Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz (JSQM), JSQM-Arisar, Jeay Sindh Tehreek-Sarki, JST-Karnani, Jeay Sindh Mahaz and Jeay Sindh Qaum Parast were arranged.

JSQM announced that it will start holding rallies across Sindh starting February. "The rulers' intention doesn't seem pure," said Sanan Qureshi, the party's young chairperson. "The JSQM will have to play a strong and assertive role."



The census exercise is crucial for political parties and national groups on two counts. One of them pertains to the presence of non-Sindhi people in the province and other to the distribution of the National Finance Commission award on the population basis.

Meanwhile, at a separate public meeting the SUP's leader and former Sindh Assembly speaker, Syed Jalal Mehmood Shah, bemoaned the high incidence of corruption among Sindhi bureaucrats. "They [corrupt bureaucrats] are spoiling the name of Sindhis," he said.



Shah also expressed concerns over transparency in the census. "Our protests and pressure led to the cancellation of the 2011 housing census in which Karachi, Hyderabad and Nawabshah's population was exaggerated."

Sindh Taraqi Pasand party's chairperson Dr Qadir Magsi, Aawmi Jamhori Party's Abrar Qazi and Qaumi Awami Tehreek's Anwar Soomro also spoke at the SUP event. The resolution passed on the occasion called for provincial autonomy, equal financial benefits under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor for all provinces and rejection of the Kalabagh dam project.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 19^th, 2016.