July 04, 2007	Wednesday	Jamadi-us-Sani 18, 1428

HYDERABAD, July 3: Speakers at a seminar on Tuesday urged the government to use funds set aside in this year’s budget for Kalabagh Dam for the rehabilitation of rain and flood hit people of Sindh and Balochistan and exempt them from payment of agricultural loans and taxes.

The seminar on “Nationalist Movement in Sindh and Question of Provincial Autonomy”, jointly organised by the South Asia Partnership Pakistan, Strengthening Participatory Organization and Minority Rights Commission, passed a number of resolutions.

A resolution demanded a new legislative with equal seats for all the federating units in light of 1940 Pakistan Resolution while another called for the establishment of an impartial caretaker set-up without military intervention to hold elections for a new constituent assembly, acknowledgement of provinces’ right of ownership on their resources and cut in defence expenses.

Nationalist leaders who spoke at the seminar sought disclosure of the arrest of nationalist activists who had gone missing in Sindh and Balochistan and called for bringing to book the people involved in May 12 Karachi killings and an end to operation in Balochistan.

Awami Tehrik’s Ayaz Latif Palijo criticised the Muttahida Qaumi Movement and said that May 12 tragedy was just a beginning of what was in store. The nationalist forces formed a bulwark against MQM’s designs to tear apart Sindh, he said.

Leader of PML (N), Afzal Gujjar, said that all the important districts had been snatched from Sindhis and they had been deprived of jobs on their own land.

Sindh generated 70 per cent of the country’s total revenue but it received only one fourth of it in return. No province could achieve autonomy without restoration of democracy, he said and expressed the hope that the MPC being convened by Nawaz Sharif in London would change the fate of the country.—PPI

Our Hyderabad correspondent adds: Veteran leftist Jam Saqi said that the senate should have financial powers to ensure parity among federating units. The parity was the only thing, which would put things on right track, he said and added that if the waderas had not supported Zia he would not have been able to send Bhutto to gallows.

The secretary general Sindh National Front, Gul Mohammad Jakhrani, said that the army, the establishment and the bureaucracy had occupied the country, which dismembered just 25 years after of its creation.

Sindh had been facing the major brunt of the federation’s policies despite generating 70 per cent of the country’s total revenue, he said and added that Pakistan was a multi-ethnic state and it required a new constitution.

The general secretary of the Sindh Taraqqi Pasand Party, Hot Khan Gadhi, said that the rights of oppressed nations were not accepted in the country after 1947 and they did not even enjoy the rights which they had under British rule.

Awami Tehrik’s Advocate Ayaz Latif Palejo said that Sindhis as a nation had committed serious mistakes in the past when they sided with Awami League.

Late Z. A. Bhutto had hijacked the national movement of Sindh and Sindhis had later supported him because he resisted army generals, he said, adding that Sindhis also supported Bugti irrespective of his past because he had become symbol of resistance but it was a blunder when they sided with MQM.

He said that all the institutions including CCI and NSC were dominated by the Punjab. The rulers had created two Pakistans, one for the rulers of Punjab and the other for the people of Sindh, he remarked.He predicted that PPP would once again strike a deal with MQM under pressure of Pervez Musharraf. If Karachi had been able to generate power and potable drinking water MQM would have kicked out Sindhis a long time ago, he feared.

The seminar’s technical session was marred by indiscipline following a threatening posture adopted by SNF’s deputy general secretary, Ayub Shar towards a senior journalist for speaking against Mumtaz Bhutto.

When an NGO activist tried to stop him SNF activists tried to manhandle him. Later, journalists protested against Shar's remarks while he was speaking against the journalist community.