KARACHI: The Sindh Progressive Committee (SPC) on Tuesday staged a demonstration outside the Karachi Press Club in protest against the arrival of internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Waziristan in Sindh and asked the government that instead of allowing them entry to Sindh, the issue of victims of the military operation in North Waziristan be taken up with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the federal governments for their temporary settlement in areas closer to Waziristan rather than 2,000 kilometres away in Sindh.

The participants in the rally before dispersing peacefully were addressed by SPC convener Abdul Khaliq Junejo, also leader of the Jeay Sindh Mahaz, leader of the Awami Workers Party Yusuf Mastikhan, leader of the Communist Party Nasir Mansoor, Advocate Jahangir Rahujo, Abdul Bari of Sindhi Adabi Sangat and others.

Speaking to the participants in the rally, the speakers said that they had all sympathies with the IDPs, but in view of threats to their future, people of Sindh once again had come out on roads from Obaro to Karachi protesting against the influx of IDPs in Sindh.

“The land of Sindh is noted for its hospitality for all sorts of affected people, but due to its unpleasant experiences in the past, which resulted in change of the ratio of population to the extent that the Sindhis are now considered a minority on their own soil and facing miserable situation of hunger, poverty, lawlessness, religious and ethnic divide and terrorism, Sindh no longer can afford the burden of millions of IDPs.”

Mr Junejo appealed to the government that keeping in view the sentiments and sensitivities of the people of Sindh the IDPs of Waziristan be settled in KP and Islamabad.

He said those people had never voted for the PPP on the promise that after coming to power it would allow an influx of IDPs into Sindh.

The SPC chief said it was high time that all enlightened and democratic forces joined hands against religious extremists and terrorists for survival of Sindhi culture and secularism in Sindh.

Published in Dawn, July 16th, 2014