Sindh one, Sindh two: Altaf proposes new Sindh formula

KARACHI:

“I do not want partition of Sindh… Sindh is our motherland and should never be divided,” Altaf told thousands of his supporters at Karachi’s Aladin Park in a telephone address from London.

He claimed that his statement – made during a public address in Hyderabad on Friday – was ‘twisted’ by his political opponents. Altaf had reportedly threatened to raise the slogan of a separate province if the PPP did not accept his party’s mandate. But while clarifying his statement on Sunday, Altaf said Sindh was already divided by the PPP.

“You are the owners of ‘Sindh One’… Let those you consider ‘Sindhis’ live in Sindh One, but at least let other Sindhis, Pathans, Kashmiris, Baloch, Punjabis and Urdu-speaking people live in Sindh Two,” he said addressing PPP leaders.

“You might as well make an official declaration because you have already done so practically by your actions,” he added.

The MQM chief invited people from all ethnic backgrounds to be part of what he called ‘Sindh Two’. “The struggle for equal rights is not just for Mohajirs. It is for everyone,” he said.

 “The MQM was the first party to introduce the poor to the assemblies and make them sit alongside feudal lords,” Altaf said, adding that those criticising his party should not forget this.

Delimitation

The MQM chief once again lashed out at the PPP over the delimitation of constituencies in Sindh.

“The PPP has deliberately delimited constituencies to manufacture a win for them in every constituency… they said ‘We’re in the government, we can do whatever we want’,” he said. “We were left with no option but to move the court.”

Altaf said the verdict of the Sindh High Court on the amendments to the Sindh Local Government Act 2013 had exposed the PPP’s ‘lies and deception’. He read out parts of the verdict, repeating the words ‘gerrymandering’ and ‘discriminatory’ to describe the delimitation exercise.

No independent body or commission oversaw the delimitation process, said Altaf. “The PPP conducted the exercise on its own.”

‘Treasonous remarks’ from other parties

The MQM chief complained that he was being singled out for criticism by certain television anchorpersons, columnists and representatives from other parties.

“A statement on dividing Sindh is declared treasonous and worth condemning even though no such remarks were made [by me]… But no hue and cry is made when political parties talk of breaking the country. Isn’t this unjust,” he said.

“The ANP says it will bomb the country if Kalabagh Dam is built and that is considered acceptable… Sirajul Haq of Jamaat-e-Islami warns the government of a situation similar to 1971 if Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa is not given its due share in resources, and even that is acceptable!”

Political reaction

Reacting to Altaf’s speech, PPP Patron-in-Chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari reiterated that his party would not allow division of Sindh. “No 50/50, no number 1 or number 2, only Mother Sindh,” he said in post on the social networking website Twitter.

He also claimed that the MQM chief was misinformed on the delimitation issue. “Uncle Altaf, your people are lying to you. The MQM was consulted for delimitation and I have minutes of the meeting. Should I send?” he said in another tweet.

“The division of Sindh will never be accepted under any situation,” said Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Memon. “The PPP has never discriminated between the rural and urban populations of Sindh,” he added, demanding the MQM tender an apology for demanding a division of the province.

Nationalist parties in Sindh, meanwhile, announced they would observe a shutter-down strike across the province against Altaf’s statement.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 6^th, 2014.