HYDERABAD: Sindh Taraqqi-pasand Party (STP) chairman Dr Qadir Magsi, addressing a well-attended gathering held at Rajputana Hospital ground on Friday evening to mark the party’s 26th founding day, rejected any administrative division of Sindh or carving out more provinces from within Sindh.

No party songs were played and no musical night was organised (which are otherwise hallmarks of the celebration titled ‘Yaum-i-madar-i-watan’) on the occasion this year in view of the recent Qalandar shrine carnage and other acts of terrorism in the country.

Dr Magsi said that [Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan chief Dr] Farooq Sattar talked about new provinces from within Sindh and some others proposed 23 administrative units for the province. “But we make it clear here that we will not accept anything short of the 1940 Resolution which forms the basis of this country,” he said. He, however, welcomed creation of more divisions and districts and posting of able and competent officers if this could improve governance.

The STP chief urged Sindhi people to attach due importance to the census, beginning next month, and avoid wrong enumeration considering the fact that wrong statistics could be rejected, and laxity in getting themselves counted might ‘end the existence of Sindhis’. He told people to help others get their CNICs and urged different communities living in Sindh to mention ‘Sindhi’ as their mother tongue in the census form.

“If 10 million people are settled in Sindh, then you [Sindhis] will be converted into a minority. We should not lose sight of the fact that different housing projects are being executed in this province,” he said.

“We will write our own destiny although [Prime Minister] Nawaz Sharif is helping [Pakistan Peoples Party co-chairman Asif Ali] Zardari by handing over Sindh to jackals,” he remarked. “We are not ready to [accept] schemes like Zulfikarabad, Defence Housing Authority, Bah­ria Town and Malir Development Authority at the cost of Sindh to raise our offshore empires,” he said.

Dr Magsi was of the view that terrorism could not be eliminated as long as terrorists’ financiers and facilitators were not brought to justice.

Turning to politics in Karachi and other cities of Sindh, he said that by creating the MQM-P and Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP), Dr Farooq Sattar and Syed Mustafa Kamal could not absolve themselves of the ‘crimes’ they had committed against humanity. “If the prime minister has to ensure success of the Karachi operation, he should bring these people to justice as they are responsible for bloodbath in Karachi and other cities from 1984 onwards,” he said.

Former senator Dr Abdul Hayee Baloch told the audience that Baloch people opposed CPEC as it was meant for prosperity of Punjab and usurping the resources of Balochistan in the shape of Gwadar port.

He said that people of Balochistan would defend their land like Sindhis because their problems were the same. He said the upcoming census was a conspiracy against Baloch people, adding that it should be postponed until a conducive environment was created.

STP secretary general Dr Hameed Memon, senior vice chairman Jam Fatah Samejo and Awami Tehreek leader Rasool Bakhsh Palijo also spoke.

Published in Dawn, February 25th, 2017