Sindh nationalists reject committee on new provinces

Go on warpath against PPP, hold sit-ins at divisional headquarters

HYDERABAD/ KARACHI:

The Sindh Action Committee will be staging a 24-hour symbolic hunger strike in the divisional headquarters of Sindh against the establishment of a parliamentary committee on the formation of new provinces and a resolution passed by the Pakistan People's Party in the Sindh Assembly regarding Articles 144 and 147 of the Constitution.

A hunger strike camp was set up outside the Karachi Press Club where Sindh United Party President Syed Zain Shah, Awami Democratic Party's Ayaz Chandio, Jeay Sindh Mahaz's Ali Nawaz Butt, National Democratic Party's Mumtaz Brohi, Qaumi Awami Tehreek's Farhan Lark, and Sindh Sagar Party's Abdul Momin Memon were present.

A large number of activists of these parties also turned up to participate.

While speaking on the occasion, Zain Shah said that the PPP has hatched a plan to divide Sindh and hand over its resources to the Federation in order to get elected in the next elections.

The National Assembly has no authority to form committees on new provinces, he said, adding that no one can divide Sindh.

"We demand that the committee formed for the establishment of new provinces should be dissolved immediately and the resolution passed by the Sindh Assembly on Articles 144 and 147 should be withdrawn immediately, otherwise, we will widen the scope of our protest," Zain Shah said.

He further said leaders of all parties taking part in the symbolic hunger strike would announce a future course of action on Sunday.

On the call of Sindh Action Commission one-day token hunger strike camps were set up in Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Nawabshah, Sukkur and Larkana districts on Saturday.

Speaking at the camp in Hyderabad Qaumi Awami Tehreek's president Ayaz Latif Palijo said Pakistan Peoples Party has withdrawn from the provincial autonomy by supporting the resolution in favour of the national assembly's committee for creation of new provinces.

He said the people in Sindh, Balochistan and South Punjab are suffering from absolute poverty, hunger and malnutrition but the PPP, Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz and their allies are busy in power politics.

He underscored the need of a transparent and strict accountability to punish all the corrupt elements because of whom the people are suffering from hyperinflation, crimes and terrorism.

He blamed the PPP's MPAs in the Sindh Assembly for allegedly reviving Gen Ayub Khan's One Unit system by voting in favour of the resolution which supports the NA's committing for new provinces.

"The PPP has formed the committee without pressure from any political party or any dictator to divide Sindh." However, he warned that the people of the province will not let the ruling party succeed in its alleged designs of creating a new province in Sindh.

He criticized the PPP for allowing one of its MNAs to table a resolution in the NA for allowing issuance of the domicile on the basis of sixmonth temporary residency in any district of Pakistan.

Palijo expressed fear that the people from other provinces who have been continuously migrating to Sindh will flood the province if the sixmonth condition is given the nod.

Other nationalist leaders also expressed their views at the camps.