HYDERABAD: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain said on Sunday that if Sindhi- and Urdu-speaking Sindhis joined hands they would be able to liberate their land from ‘others’. He asked them to prove themselves to be true sons of the soil to end hatred.

Addressing from London a ceremony held to launch Sindhi translation of his book “Falsafa-i-Muhabbat” at a hotel here, Mr Hussain said the entire Muslim Ummah was enslaved and always ready to serve others in their military campaigns. They [Muslim countries] are ready to send their forces to Bahrain, Syria or Somalia. This raises questions about independence of Muslims.

The MQM chief said the people of Sindh had been complaining about denial of rights and occupation of their resources. But they have to actively work to achieve what they want.

He urged Sindhi people to support him once and see whether he would be able to get them their rights. “It is a government of Sindhis yet the condition of schools is for everyone to see. What’s the use of such Sindhi government when Sindhi haris and labourers are deprived of their rights?”

He said he was resolved to translate dreams of Bhittai into reality and was prepared to be shunned if he failed. He said Sindhis were exploited in the name of politics.

He said Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai had talked about peace not only for Sindh but the entire world and asked why differences were being created between Sindhi- and Urdu-speaking people. “We are sons of the soil like any other Sindhi and will live and die in Sindh. We don’t need any certificate,” he said.

“We, the people of Sindh have given nothing to our motherland which is a land of love and peace. We have allowed others to exploit it.”

Mr Hussain said if the two communities continued to fight “others’ businesses” would flourish. He asked them to pledge that they would end hatred and become true sons of the soil. “Let’s join hands and liberate our land from outsiders.”

He said all those who lived in Sindh and were loyal to it were Sindhis whether they spoke Pushtu or any other language.

MQM Deputy Convener Dr Farooq Sattar, coordination committee member Ashfaq Mangi, Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz (Arisar) leader Abdul Wahid Arisar, former senator Yusuf Shaheen, Syed Ghulam Raza Shah, younger brother of Sajjada Nasheen of the shrine of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai, Ishrat Ali Khan, author of a book on Hyderabad, Prof Mumtaz Bhutto and journalist Lala Asad also spoke on the occasion.

The book has been translated by Masoom Thari.

Mr Arisar said Sindh should be made a citadel of peace as it used to be when it was not affected by sectarianism. He said that when there was bloodshed in the streets of Karachi, he along with Ali Mukhtiar Rizvi used to visit Jatt Lanes and Liaquatabad without any guard.

Mr Shaheen alleged that all factories and land and resources had been taken over by outsiders while Sindhi- and Urdu-speaking people remained spectators. “We both were even denied jobs in factories.”

He said people coming from Afghanistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Fata were making bombs and killing the people of Sindh. “Our children feel insecure while going to colleges and universities,” he added.