Altaf flays discrimination against Urdu-speaking Sindhis, wants separate province
MQM chief says Sindh's delimitation was deliberately orchestrated for a PPP victory, an MQM loss in each...
A view of the audience at Bagh-e-Mustafa in Hyderabad during Altaf Hussain's telephonic address. PHOTO: MQM press release
HYDERABAD:
In a telephonic address to party workers in Hyderabad on Friday, Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain said if urban, Urdu-speaking Sindhis are not given the same rights as rural Sindhis, then Pakistan People's Party they should consider creating a separate province for the "Urdu-speaking Sindhi populace," Express News reported.
The MQM chief lambasted the Sindh government for what he claimed were conspiracies behind delimitation plans to manufacture a PPP win and an MQM loss from every constituency in the upcoming local body elections in Sindh.
He said the PPP-led government treatment of Urdu-speaking people was akin to that of "step-mothers".
Altaf said that if the government wanted to continue its "gangster" ways, it would do well to remember that MQM has given sacrifices in the past and would not hesitate to lay their lives down for the cause again in the future.
However, the option of talking was still open.
The MQM chief urged the Sindh government to sit down with MQM and discuss ways in which the urban populace can be represented equally with rural areas, which they would have to do sooner or later.
"Today, I ask PPP and Sindhi nationalist parties that if they consider the urban masses — the Urdu-speaking Sindhis — not Sindhi enough, then create a separate province for this particular Sindhi population."
Altaf said he was ready for talks at this point, but if the things got "out-of-hand", the flames from this fire could scorch the entire country.
On the subject of the ongoing trial of Pervez Musharraf, Altaf Hussain said Article 6 of the Constitution should also implicate former Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry and General (retd) Kayani in cases.
He also took a dig at Bilawal Bhutto. Noting how he was like his nephew, Altaf advised that he should complete his studies before joining politics.
"Be a good boy, not a bad boy," he advised Bilawal in English adding that the young Bhutto scion, who has taken to Twitter with great success, to think, think a lot before speaking.
PPP reacts
PPP patron Bilawal Bhutto Zardari tweeted in response:
Speaking to Express News over telephone, Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Memon called Hussain's statement "a ploy to divert attention from the Karachi operation, which is targeting terrorists, extortionists and those responsible for all the dead bodies found packed in gunny sacks."
"I don't think that this singular statement by one person from one group reflects the sentiments of the masses," said Memon.
"Everyone in Sindh is living like brothers and will continue to do so. We won't let anyone split Sindh."
In a telephonic address to party workers in Hyderabad on Friday, Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain said if urban, Urdu-speaking Sindhis are not given the same rights as rural Sindhis, then Pakistan People's Party they should consider creating a separate province for the "Urdu-speaking Sindhi populace," Express News reported.
The MQM chief lambasted the Sindh government for what he claimed were conspiracies behind delimitation plans to manufacture a PPP win and an MQM loss from every constituency in the upcoming local body elections in Sindh.
He said the PPP-led government treatment of Urdu-speaking people was akin to that of "step-mothers".
Altaf said that if the government wanted to continue its "gangster" ways, it would do well to remember that MQM has given sacrifices in the past and would not hesitate to lay their lives down for the cause again in the future.
However, the option of talking was still open.
The MQM chief urged the Sindh government to sit down with MQM and discuss ways in which the urban populace can be represented equally with rural areas, which they would have to do sooner or later.
"Today, I ask PPP and Sindhi nationalist parties that if they consider the urban masses — the Urdu-speaking Sindhis — not Sindhi enough, then create a separate province for this particular Sindhi population."
Altaf said he was ready for talks at this point, but if the things got "out-of-hand", the flames from this fire could scorch the entire country.
On the subject of the ongoing trial of Pervez Musharraf, Altaf Hussain said Article 6 of the Constitution should also implicate former Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry and General (retd) Kayani in cases.
He also took a dig at Bilawal Bhutto. Noting how he was like his nephew, Altaf advised that he should complete his studies before joining politics.
"Be a good boy, not a bad boy," he advised Bilawal in English adding that the young Bhutto scion, who has taken to Twitter with great success, to think, think a lot before speaking.
PPP reacts
PPP patron Bilawal Bhutto Zardari tweeted in response:
Speaking to Express News over telephone, Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Memon called Hussain's statement "a ploy to divert attention from the Karachi operation, which is targeting terrorists, extortionists and those responsible for all the dead bodies found packed in gunny sacks."
"I don't think that this singular statement by one person from one group reflects the sentiments of the masses," said Memon.
"Everyone in Sindh is living like brothers and will continue to do so. We won't let anyone split Sindh."