HYDERABAD: A day after leading a big rally in Hyderabad, Sindh Taraqqi-pasand Party (STP) chairman Dr Qadir Magsi presided over a meeting of the party’s central committee on Monday and called for declaring the Sindhi language a compulsory subject in all private, besides government, schools in the province.

He presented a list of many other demands which the committee endorsed. Dr Hameed Memon, Gulzar Soomro, Altaf Jiskani and Ashiq Solangi were the other leaders present at the meeting.

Dr Magsi said that private schools in the province should be bound to include Sindhi language in their primary-level syllabus and make it a compulsory subject.

The registration of any school not doing so should be cancelled, he stressed.

The STP chief also demanded repatriation of all illegal immigrants, especially Afghans, to their country of origin with the assistance of the United Nations, and said that the CNICs/domiciles obtained by such immigrants fraudulently be cancelled.

He said that “large-scale migration” of aliens to Sindh should be stopped forthwith and the Article 15 of the Constitution that allowed their free movement be held in abeyance for 20 years in order to maintain population balance in Sindh.

Dr Magsi also demanded distribution of resources between the federation and provinces on a 50-50 basis as per the 18th Constitutional Amendment. Water to each province should also be provided in accordance with the 1991 Water Accord while release of 10maf (million acre feet) downstream Kotri on a permanent basis be ensured.

The STP chief observed that Sindhis demonstrated their political awakening by participating in the Sunday rally organised by the party in a large number despite “attempts by the district administration and local police to sabotage it”.

Published in Dawn, September 15th, 2015

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