HYDERABAD: Emphasising the need for devolving powers to local governments (LGs) for effective municipal system, speakers at a one-day conference said that fundamental rights must be revisited to address growing urbanisation, check influx of ‘outsiders’ and protect demography of Sindh.

They added that Karachi’s constituencies should be re-demarcated as present ones, “in ethnic sense”, don’t truly represent electorates living there. “Karachi undoubtedly needs an effective metropolitan system,” they said.

The conference on ‘Urbanisation in Sindh: impacts and way forward and understanding how urbanisation is impacting demography and its indigenous communities’ was organised in the Sindh Museum by Critical Studies Forum (CSF) here on Saturday.

Eminent environmental journalist Afia Salam said cities do not need ‘more development’ but equitable one to address problems of all.

Development which destroys someone could not be considered real development. If state is functional then there is no need of NGOs.

“It appears as if ‘mighty’ Indus has become a folklore and Karachi’s hinterland that feeds provincial capital has been encroached upon.”

She claimed that entire focus was on Karachi because of urbanisation and resources of other areas were spent there.

She claimed that 60pc of Karachi was comprised of “irregular settlements or katchi abadis” and this 60pc population was in addition to the slums.

She said people should come up with a package of solutions to address all problems relating to urbanisation. If sea level rises, it could destroy Karachi and we must think about it, she said.

Prof Dr Altaf Siyal of Mehran University said climate change has a direct bearing on urbanisation. Nine per cent of GDP was affected by climate change, including crop productivity as Pakistan’s temperature has risen by 0.5 degree.

“We need to protect freshwater resources, reduce emission of greenhouse gases, minimise population growth rate and increase riverine forests.”

CSF member Masroor Shah said urbanisation devoured common resources and Karachi was facing ‘implosion’. He disagreed with the view that only 52pc of Sindh is urban area or Pakistan is an agrarian economy as has been taught in schools. The Indian government had done away with special status of occupied Kashmir to allow new settlements to undermine indigenous population, he added.

Gul Hassan Kalmati gave a detailed presentation on Bahria Town Karachi (BTK) as to how the construction tycoon encroached upon different villages’ land.

The builder, he said, aims to expand the project on 7,000 acres of land near Kathore off M9. He said only one man, the builder, was facilitated because ‘one palace’ was to be built in Lahore.

Noted analyst Jami Chandio while speaking at a panel discussion said “sense of loss” in Sindhi-speaking people — created after 1947 migration of people in Karachi — withered away to some extent and it was evident from different cultural and economic activities.

“Question of urban politics became part of nationalist discourse because of this sense of loss.”

State in fact had abdicated its authority to corporate sector to allow it to earn for itself and for state too, he added. That’s why, current urbanisation suits state amid new liberal order, adding that this vital important question is not on agenda of parliamentary parties.

He said federal and provincial structures were constitutional governments whereas municipal tier was administrative unit in a federal system. Since LG system was always introduced by dictators in Pakistan it was perceived as an undemocratic system. “To me LG system in all provinces is cosmetic and not delivering. We have two extremes with MQM demanding LG system non-existent anywhere and PPP denying just administrative powers” to LGs due to its incompetence. Karachi needs effective metropolitan system but not kind of defunct ‘dual LG system of PPP’ in which 47 subjects were transferred to LBs,” he said.

He said Pakistan needed basic changes in fundamental rights to check influx of people in Sindh which had a direct bearing on urbanisation.

Jami said Sindhi people did not have language-based issue with anyone.

“People are free to maintain separate cultural identities, but consider themselves Sindhis in political sense. Things witnessed in ’90s were reality of that time thus [they] can’t be rejected,” he said, alluding to ethnic riots in Sindh.

He expressed the fear that there was a religious element in Karachi and “MQM sort” of factor may resurrect in some other shape there in view of ill-planned urbanisation.

Chairman of Jeay Sindh Mahaz (Junejo) Abdul Khalique Junejo agreed with Mr Jami’s view for devolving powers to grassroots level while avoiding extreme demands which produce reactionary forces. He believed current urbanisation in Sindh was unnatural whereas that of Moenjodaro was natural.

Sindh was at receiving end due to strong influence of capitalist forces.

Sindh’s middle class left in 1947 and similar class came from India but couldn’t connect with Sindh which was then dominated by haris and landowners, he said.

He alleged that state kept creating hurdles in development of Sindh’s middle class.

“Sindh faces influx of people from different areas. I consider all those living in Sindh permanently as Sindhis regardless of language they prefer to speak but connect themselves with Sindh as part of Sindhi nation. I don’t support ‘nasali Sindhi, asali Sindh’ alone narrative,” he said.

Seasoned trade unionist Nasir Mansoor pointed out Sindh started bearing brunt of ‘migration’ or ‘influx’ of people since 1947.

First it was refugees’ migration after partition, then post-Bangladesh migration of non-Bengalis, Afghan refugees after USSR dismemberment and IDPs after anti-militants operations. When MQM emerged, urban politics question was there, he said and if this question was not addressed ‘fascist tendencies’ may raise ugly head again in Karachi.

He said the approach that those speaking Sindhi were Sindhis and those who were linked with Sindh’s interests but don’t speak Sindhi were not Sindhis would not be beneficial. “Urban population needed to be engaged with taking up their issues,” he said.

He advocated constitutional amendment for new social contract to safeguard demography of federating units and for re-demarcating constituencies in Karachi as “existing ones [are not] truly representative of electorates living there”.

A documentary was screened on ill-planned housing schemes even in riverbed of Qasimabad.

Published in Dawn, January 5th, 2020