HYDERABAD, May 10: Awami Tehrik chief and Supreme Court lawyer Rasool Bux Palijo has invited attention of President General Pervez Musharraf to alleged marginalization of Sindhi lawyers and judges in the judiciary at the provincial as well as national level. In a two-page communication addressed to the president, a copy of which has been obtained by Dawn, Mr Palijo said among many factors contributing to creation of a serious perception in minds of the Sindhis that they were being marginalized, manipulated and virtually eliminated step by step, there was also a perception about marginalization of Sindhi lawyers and judges in the judiciary.

He said of 19 judges of the Sindh High Court, only six were the Sindhis and the situation was not different in subordinate judiciary.

He said one very simple but most effective device for marginalization of the Sindhis in judiciary was elevation of aged Sindhis with only a few years of service left.

He said the result was that there had been no Sindhi chief justice of the Sindh High Court for a number of years nor was there any such prospect for a long time to come.

He said that the judges were elevated at a very young age enabling them to become the chief justice of Sindh and the Supreme Court.

To add insult to injury, Mr Palijo said some beneficiaries of the unjust system were following absurd and ridiculous theory that the Sindhis lack merit.