KHAIRPUR, Oct 25: Chairman Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz, Bashir Qureshi, has said that out of 173 oil and gas fields of the country, 140 fields are in Sindh but its people are faced with the problems of poverty and hunger due to which they were even selling their children.

He was speaking at a reception in Ranipur on Saturday. He said that mineral resources of Sindh were under the federal control and Sindh was not being paid any royalty due to which majority of the people of Sindh were living below poverty line.

He said that whenever PPP comes into power, it forgets about the welfare of Sindh and its people for which PPP talks too much when it is out of power and added that they have even forgotten the commitments made with the people be it admissions to the educational institutions of Karachi, regularisation of katchi abadis of Sindhis, or providing employment to the Sindhi people.

He said that during the nine-year era of Pervez Musharraf, PPP kept on talking about merit but now they have forgotten about it and added that all the high-profile jobs are being sold.

Talking about MQM, he said that its leaders talk of their personal interests but not about interests of Sindh or its people. He said that Sindh is the land of Sufis so it would be defended at all costs.

He said that Pakistan has been ostracised in the comity of nations. He said that Afghans are entering our country and they are taking control of our resources and added that protest demonstrations and hunger strikes would be held throughout the province on all these issues.

Our Dadu correspondent adds: Speaking at a meeting of JSQM here on Saturday, Mr Qureshi said that the Sindh government has not regularised any of the katchi abadi in Karachi comprising Sindhis while the colonies of outsiders are being regularised.

He said that katchi abadis consisting of Sindhis had been neglected by the consecutive governments of Sindh. Mr Qureshi said that people of Sindh were denied their genuine rights while Sindh was deprived of its due share of water. He said that law and order situation has deteriorated in the province.