HYDERABAD: Threat to launch protest movement: Division of Hyderabad
Bureau Report
HYDERABAD, April 5: Condemning the division of Hyderabad into four districts, federalist as well as nationalist parties have threatened to launch a protest movement against the decision. They accused the Muttahida Qaumi Movement of dividing the historic district on ethnic lines which would create hatred among Sindhis and Urdu-speaking people. Speaking at a press conference at the press club, the divisional president of the People’s Party Parliamentarians, Abdul Sattar Bachani, said when the proposal of the district’s division was floated four months back an all-parties conference held in the city had rejected the idea.
The district president of the party, Mohsin Shah Bukhari, city president MPA Zahid Bhurgari, MNA Shagufta Jumani, MPA Farheen Mughal and a large number of party leaders were present on the occasion.
Mr Bachani said the district had remained the capital of Sindh till the British colonization of Sindh and it was still the cultural capital of the province but the chief minister had distorted its identity by dividing it into four parts.
He said when Karachi could get a city district government why Hyderabad could not be given the same status.
Mr Bachani said the creation of new districts would destroy the economy of the historic city.
He said the bifurcation of the district was announced on April 4 when the entire PPP high command was busy in commemorating the death anniversary of the founder of the party Z.A. Bhutto.
He said the government should have convened an all-parties conference on the issue to take the people into confidence.
He asked from where billions of rupees would come to run the administration of new districts and appointment of an army of employees to run the affairs of the district.
Replying to a question, Mr Bachani said if the PPP came into power it would restore the district to its original shape.
AWAMI TEHRIK: The chief of the Awami Tehrik, Mr Rasool Bux Palijo, said the main purpose of dismembering the district was to “convert it into the stronghold of terrorists”.
He was speaking to reporters at the hunger strike camp set up by the Awami Tehrik outside the press club here on Tuesday.
Scores of Tehrik workers observed a token hunger strike in protest against the bifurcation of Hyderabad district.
Mr Palijo said he would not ask the government to rescind the decision but urged the Sindhis to open their eyes and rise to the occasion.
He claimed that when tens of thousands of Sindhis would gather at one place, the government would be forced to restore the true identity of the district.
He said in fact, the generals were the root cause of all problems and that they would have to be thrown out of political arena to snatch the control of Jinnah’s Pakistan from their hands.
SNP: The Sindh National Party said it would soon announce a programme to launch struggle to restore the original demography of the district.
Speaking at a news conference, the chairman of the party, Ameer Bhambhro accused the rulers of destroying the national identity of the Sindhi nation by bifurcating districts of the province.
He said unemployment was at its peak, the Sindh government had no money to pay salaries to its own employees, new appointments had been banned and development works had been left incomplete then where would the money come from for the new districts.
He said the far-flung area of the district was only 30 kilometres away from the city and the people could reach the city in just half an hour which showed that there was no rationale to divide the district.
He said the fact was that the MQM wanted to create a new province based on Karachi and Hyderabad.
He said the bifurcation of the district would lead to bloodshed.
He said the party would launch a strong movement against the bifurcation of the district.
SPYO: The president of the Sindh People’s Youth, Mr Amjad Baloch and central leaders Ehsan Abro and Qazi Sami lashed out at the Sindh government for bifurcating the district.
They said it was done under a conspiracy to facilitate one political party.
PPP-SB: Leaders of the PPP-SB, Peeral Majidano advocate and Mehboob Siyal condemned the bifurcation of the district.
They said to dismember the district at the instance of one political group was tantamount to breaking Sindh.
They threatened to launch a movement against the bifurcation of the district.
STPP: Sindh Taraqi Pasand Party chairman Dr Qadir Magsi accused the Sindh chief minister of playing in the hands of MQM.
He said the decision would never be accepted by the Sindhis and they would launch a strong struggle against the move.
