Run up to local body elections: Government trying to foster ethnic divide, complain leaders

Nationalists claim govt is trying to retain dominance of MQM and PPP in the district administration.

HYDERABAD: The delimitation of constituencies for the local government elections as well as the proposed break-up of Hyderabad into two districts has received wide disapproval from a majority of the stakeholders. Internal disagreements also abound among workers of the Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) district chapter, particularly over carving out Qasimabad as a separate district.

The objections range from opposition to the creation of separate municipal administrative units in the district to division of the constituencies. Interestingly, there is also a burgeoning disapproval among the Sindhi community, civil society and nationalist leaders against splitting Hyderabad into two districts. The move is being viewed as an attempt to foster an ethnic divide in Hyderabad between the Sindhi and Urdu-speaking communities.



“The whole exercise smacks of pre-poll rigging organised in a way that the PPP and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) retain control over their respective areas. This is being done at the cost of disturbing ethnic harmony,” claimed the Sindh Taraqi Pasand party’s chairperson, Dr Qadir Magsi.

The proposal for Qasimabad district, submitted by provincial minister Jam Khan Shoro, is still being reviewed by the provincial government. Meanwhile, the existing district will be administered through a municipal corporation comprising City and Latifabad talukas, a municipal committee for Qasimabad taluka and a district council for the Rural taluka. The two talukas in the corporation are dominated by the MQM and the latter two, by the PPP.

Delimitation

A total of 50 objections against the delimitation in Hyderabad district have been submitted at the divisional complaint cell. Hyderabad Commissioner Jamal Mustafa Syed will hear the complaints today (Wednesday).

In two separate objections, the Qaumi Awami Tehreek has asked the government to include Qasimabad with Latifabad and City in the municipal corporation. The party has also identified areas that have either been omitted in the constituencies list or made part of remote wards and union committees.

“There are hundreds of localities, residential colonies and even villages which find no mention in the lists,” said the complainant advocate Ibrar Abro. “The government argues that the whole exercise in based on the 1998 census but many of the left-out areas existed even then.”

MQM’s spokesperson Imran Noor reported that 24 objections have been submitted. “The PPP government has tried to increase the gulf between the two communities,” complained former MQM MNA Tayyab Hussain.

Qasimabad district

The plan to give district status to Qasimabad has created tangible rifts among the ranks of the PPP’s local leadership too. The leaders and workers belonging to the City and Latifabad talukas are especially dismayed over the decision.

The party’s district president, Zahid Bhurgari, who was twice elected as MPA from Qasimabad but originally hails from City taluka, is also said to be one of the strongest opponents to the proposal.

The envisioned district comprises Qasimabad and Rural talukas. Moreover, the addition of some parts of the neighbouring Tando Muhammad Khan district have also been recommended. Sindhi nationalist leaders, however, have strongly rejected the proposition.

Meanwhile, the Sindhi civil society representatives, who are also opposed to the new district, are preparing an alternate proposal aimed at better municipal and administrative management of the district.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 6^th,2013.