APROPOS the letter above (Sept 26). In my opinion writing or saying ‘Karachi and Sindh’ was correct when Karachi was the federal capital. The then federal capital territory consisted not only of the present Karachi division but also a large part of the present Lasbela district. Furthermore, a federal capital territory does not belong to any province; therefore Karachi had its distinct status.

Now that Karachi is no longer the federal capital but the capital of Sindh, writing or saying so is incorrect, rather offensive. However, using the term ‘interior Sindh’ should not be taken as offensive. Karachi being an airport and seaport is a major entry point into the province; thus interior Sindh simply means deep inside the province, away from the entry point.

The Sindh Assembly does not have two languages as Sindh province has only one official language, Sindhi. This was approved by the Sindh Assembly in 1972, whereas Urdu stands as the national language.

As far as separate quotas for urban and rural Sindh are concerned, many living in the urban areas object to it. However, the historical fact is that a separate quota for urban areas was established on the demand of the urban people in the 70s. This is how separate urban and rural quotas came into existence in Sindh.

Prof Dr Surayya Khatoon

Karachi

Published in Dawn, October 3rd , 2018