KARACHI, April 12: The Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz (JSQM) on Thursday demanded that Sindhis be given control over their natural resources and the more than 7,000 Sindhi and Baloch nationalists who have been “picked up” by the agencies be released immediately otherwise a protest movement would be launched on April 25.

Speaking at the conclusion of the long march, the JSQM leaders Bashir Qureshi, Niaz Kalani and others – said that if the demands were not accepted the party would launch a series of protest demonstrations from April 25, which is also the death anniversary of Sindhi nationalist leader G. M. Syed.

The JSQM leaders and a large number of supporters started their long march from Sukkur and walked through the province and covered over 625 kilometres in 26 days.

The march concluded at the Karachi Press Club on Thursday evening where a big rally was held.

They said that though Sindh is very rich in natural resources and provides a major share in the federal government collections, but in the return it is given peanuts and major chunk of the developmental budget is given to Punjab.

They said that the oil, gas, and other resources of Sindh were being exploited and controlled by the federal government.

They said that the Sindhis were not even given their right to govern themselves and the governments here were formed and dismissed on the directives of the Centre.

They said Sindh had been attacked and looted for thousands of years, but now the Sindhis had woken up and they would not allow the plunderers to continue their looting.

They said now conspiracies were being hatched to rob Sindh of its water from the Indus by constructing dams.

He said that no dams would be allowed to be constructed on the Indus.

They said that the old Goths (villages) of the Sindhis in Karachi were being demolished.

He said that under a conspiracy people from other provinces had been brought here to convert Sindhis in to a minority.

They said now similar policies were being adopted in Balochistan where under a plan outsiders were being brought in to convert the Baloch people in to a minority in their own province.

The participants of the rally chanted slogans in support of their demands.