HYDERABAD: Activists of several nationalist parties held protest demonstrations in Sindh towns on Sunday against statements by minister of state for interior Talal Chaudhry and Sindh senior minister Nisar Ahmed Khuhro calling for issuance of CNICs to aliens residing illegally in Sindh.

They warned if the government made such a decision they would launch a massive protest movement against it.

In Hyderabad, scores of activists of nationalist parties demonstrated outside the press club carrying banners and placards and waving parties’ flags.

Awami Jamhoori Party (AJP) president Amanullah Shaikh, Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz-Bashir (JSQM) leader Dr Niaz Kalani, Sindh United Party (SUP) leader Dr Dodo Maheri and others, who led the protest, said that Sindh was not an orphanage where all outsiders were to be settled permanently.

AJP president said that 3 to 3.5 million outsiders including Burmese, Afghanis, Biharis, Bengalis and others, who were already residing illegally in Karachi, were a great burden on Sindh’s resources and natives had to pay a huge price for them.

He said that Sindh could no longer bear this burden. Courts had asked for sending the aliens back to their respective countries or keeping them in camps. Sindh Senior Minister Nisar Ahmed Khuhro had also retracted his statement on issuance of CNICs to aliens under massive pressure of masses, he said.

He said that a multi-party conference of AJP, SUP, JSQM-B, Qaumi Awami Tehreek, Awami Tehreek and others held on Nov 14 at Karachi had decided to hold protests throughout the province on Nov 19 to protest against the ministers’ statements. Another multi-party conference would be held on Nov 25 in Karachi to evolve a strategy against outsiders in future as well, he said.

SUKKUR: Activists of SUP, AJP, JSQM and Jeay Sindh Mahaz (JSM) took out a rally in Jacobabad and Awami Tehreek held a demonstration outside press club in Sukkur against plans to issue CNICs to outsiders in Sindh.

The protesters’ leaders said that under a conspiracy the outsiders were being settled in Sindh only and not in other provinces to turn Sindhis’ majority into a minority.

They demanded the authorities concerned should expel the aliens who had come from other countries and settled in Sindh and cancel their CNICs. If it was not done they would widen their protest, they warned.

MIRPURKHAS: Scores of JSQM-Arisar workers held a demonstration outside the press club against settlement of aliens in Sindh and ‘enforced disappearance’ of nationalist parties’ workers.

Dr Mir Alam Marri who led the protest told media persons that nationalist workers Sabir Chandio, Ayub Kandhro, Hidayat Lohar, Khadim Narejo, Azim Abro, Raza Jarwar and others had been made to disappear and detained at unknown place.

SANGHAR: JSQM-Arisar chief Marri said at a press conference at local press club here on Saturday that Sindh was already burdened with 3.5 million illegal immigrants who were residing in Karachi.

He objected to demands being raised by certain members of National Assembly to issue CNICs to Burmese, Bengalis and Afghanis and termed it a conspiracy to convert Sindhis into a minority.

He asked authorities concerned to identify and repatriate aliens to their countries of origin. It appeared that courts were helpless before certain powers behind the issue of enforced disappearances of peaceful political and human rights activates in Sindh, he said.

He said that in the case of Punhal Sario disappearance even registration number of the vehicle which was used to pick him up was submitted to the court but no action was taken against anybody.

Mr Marri said that 19 activists of his party had been missing since long and a constitutional petition for their recovery was pending trial in courts. Active party workers and office-bearers were receiving calls from unknown numbers, asking them to quit nationalist politics or face action, he said.

He appealed to the United Nations to take notice of such stark violation of human rights and demand explanation from the Pakistani government over the issue of enforced disappearance. The UN should ask the government to sign the International Forced Disappearance Convention, he said.

KHAIRPUR: Activists of Sindh Bachayo Committee staged a demonstration outside the press club in protest against plans for issuance of CNICs to aliens.

The protesters’ leaders saw it as part of a deep conspiracy to allow hundreds of thousands of aliens to get national identity cards and thus convert native Sindhis into a minority.

They warned they would not tolerate it at any cost and demanded the anti-Sindh plans be taken back. Otherwise, they said, they would launch a protest movement across Sindh.

Published in Dawn, November 20th, 2017