HYDERABAD: Jeay Sindh Mahaz chairman Abdul Khaliq Junejo has taken strong exception to a meeting of the nationalist parties and groups that share a common flag and slogan ( Jeay Sindh), arguing that if they do not recognise the state of Pakistan, then whom they are addressing as far as their demands are concerned.

Speaking at a press conference at the local press club on Tuesday, Mr Junejo observed that the “Sindhi nation faces a multi-faceted crisis which threatens its survival for which the state is responsible”.

Sindh’s national movement has to extricate Sindh out of this morass thus it makes it mandatory that the “national struggle’s internal situation” should be analysed honestly.

Mr Junejo further observed that a few days back, some nationalist parties which shared a common flag and the Jeay Sindh slogan held a joint meeting and issued a policy statement, resolving that “G.M. Syed’s philosophy is based on principle of non-violence and Jeay Sindh struggle adheres to this principle as it is something in line with [the] international principle”.

The JSM chief said that his party welcomed their adherence to the principle of non-violence but still put questions to these parties. “How did these friends adopt this non-violent path; for how long will it continue; and what is its scope?” he asked. He said that these questions should be answered because Syed had formed the “Jeay Sindh Mahaz” for political, cultural and economic freedom.

“The friends who issued this statement had created the “Jeay Sindh Tehreek” on the grounds that non-violence is symbol of cowardice and national rights cannot be achieved by adopting a non-violent path and they will win Sindh’s independence through an armed struggle,” he remarked.

But, he said, world was witness to the fact that they promoted gun culture in politics and even tried to sabotage many JSM programmes ... so much so they disrupted proceedings of the public gatherings held for G.M. Syed whereas common Sindhi people never used weapons.

“They forced people to observe strikes and do other works. Sindh’s villages and cities are witness to the use of weapons,” said Mr Junejo, and quoted from their policy statement: “Enforced disappearances of nationalist workers should come to an end and atrocities against nationalist movement and Syed’s philosophy should stop”.

He wondered whom these demands were being made to if their past stance — denial of Pakistan’s existence -- was anything to go by. He said that on this ground, they had launched a campaign against the JSM. He said they seemed to believe that since the JSM accepted the state of Pakistan, it had no right to bracket itself with Syed’s philosophy.

Mr Junejo said that these forces had created a storm after his party had joined the Pakistan Oppressed Nations Movement which was a practicable option for oppressed nations.

He recalled that on one occasion, JSM chairman was given Pakistani flag and told to torch it. On his refusal, he was dubbed as coward, he added.

“The JSM believes that conflicting views and non-political behaviour are adopted to weaken Sindh’s ideological and political foundations and create misgivings among Sindhis,” he said.

He was of the view that slogans of ‘extremism’ were raised to make matters worse for those who believed in principled, serious and meaningful politics. He urged these parties to come clean over what rights they demanded for Sindhi people and which course of struggle was universally acknowledged for them and whether they believed in the state of Pakistan.

Published in Dawn, September 7th, 2016