October 30, 2008	Thursday	Shawwal 30, 1429

HYDERABAD, Oct 29: The Awami Tehrik on Wednesday said that the decision to privatise the Qadirpur gas field be withdrawn and its ownership be handed over to Sindh because the federation had nothing to do with it.

In a press statement, the AT president Abdul Qadir Ranto and general secretary Abdul Hakeem Halepoto said that almost all the political parties and employees of the Oil and Gas Development Company Limited had opposed the privatisation of the gas field.

They said that at this stage, neutrality by the Sindh government was an unforgivable crime and demanded that the decision to privatise the gas field be rescinded and its ownership be restored to Sindh.

The gas field was one of the largest fields of the province which had 19 gas reservoirs out of which only eight were being used and its daily income stood at Rs50 million, said the AT leaders.

They said that it was an irony that majority of workers employed at the gas field were non-Sindhi speaking and regretted that over the past 13 years, none of the governments of the province had tried to stop the loot and plunder of the gas field and other resources by the centre.

JSSF: Leaders of the Jeay Sindh Students Federation (organising committee) have rejected the decision of the central body of the JSQM (Arisar group) to suspend the membership of the chief organiser of the student organisation, Sooryah Sindhi, for one year and said that the Arisar group has no legal or moral authority to suspend the membership.

In a joint statement, Sooryah Sindhi, Qurban Mahar, Nadir Bugti, Anwar Langah and others said that on April 25, 2008, a so-called election of JSQM was held in Sann in which Mr Arisar got himself elected and termed his election illegal election as no party election had been held in four districts.

Not only this, they said, but even the elections of subordinate wings of the party – JSSF, Porhiyat Sangat, Latif Sangat and Naari Tehrik had not been held.

They said that only 30 persons gathered at Sann and held the gathering farce adding that even today, Shafi Mohammad Karnani was the chairman of JSQM organising committee.

“We are with Mr Karnani and we have nothing to do with Arisar group”, they said and refused to accept Mr Arisar as chairman or his central body.