March 23, 2007	Friday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 3, 1428

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HYDERABAD, March 22: The Sindhi, Baloch, Pushtoon and Siraiki nationalist leaders have warned the government against division of Sindh on the pretext of creating more administrative units, and described the Muttahida Qaumi Movement as the biggest threat to survival of Sindhis, saying it is settling aliens in Karachi and other parts of the province to convert Sindhis into a minority in their motherland.

The leaders were speaking at a big public meeting near Abbas Bhai Park here on Wednesday night. It was organised by the Sindh Tarraqqi-Pasand Party to mark the 17th Motherland Day. The programme continued till midnight.

A big cake was cut by STP leader Dr Qadir Magsi on the occasion. A tableau on the theme of “"Sindh speaks’ was appreciated by participants of the meeting. It revolved around creation of the STP in the wake of ethnic strife in Sindh.

Dr Magsi began his speech amidst reverberations of gunshots and display of fireworks. He said the country was facing a serious crisis and equated the present situation with pre-disintegration scenario in 1970. He said the army had to make a retreat before tribesmen and there was unrest in Balochistan since the killing of nationalist leader Nawab Akbar Bugti. He added people's movement was stronger than cannon shells and bullets and people of Sindh had proved it by resisting the construction of Kalabagh dam and forcing President Musharraf to defer the plan.

He criticised the president's televised interview after removal of the chief justice of Pakistan and attack on a private TV channel and said his body language proved that he was losing ground thus he was offering explanations. He said the president should have resigned when the chief justice was publicly humiliated.

He criticised the discussions in Punjab regarding creation of more provinces and said it was aimed at dividing Sindh. He warned as long as a single Sindhi was alive, he would not let it happen.

He demanded release of imprisoned political activists and those who have gone ‘missing.’ He criticised the president's remarks that he did not know anything about missing persons.

Sindh National Front chief Mumtaz Bhutto also attacked the MQM for its ‘anti-Sindh’ policies and criticised the rulers for thrusting the MQM on Sindh

He referred to a Sindh Assembly resolution regarding exclusive rights of jobs in Karachi for residents of the city alone.

Senator Raza Mohammad Raza of the Pushtoonkhwah Mili Awami Party said Pushtoon, Baloch, Sindhi and Siraiki people were deprived of their right to rule their homelands, saying they had been ‘enslaved’ in their homelands.

National Party chief Dr Abdul Hayee Baloch said that land of Sindh was rich with resources of oil, coal, water and gas but today outsiders were challenging the people of Sindh.

“Karachi is identity of Sindh but you and us matter nowhere in the city,” the Baloch leader said. He saw similarity in issues confronting Sindh and Balochistan and said Gawadar deep seaport was a conspiracy against the Baloch to displace them.

He said Sindhis and Baloch people would have to unite for their rights as they shared common culture and bonds.

He described removal of chief justice as an attack on judicial independence.

Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) leader Makhdoom Shahnawaz, Kareemullah of Jeay Siraikistan Party, Siraiki Paty's M. A. Boota and the STP’s Hoath Khan Gadhi, Dr Hameed Memon and Ali Hassan Chandio also spoke on the occasion.