DADU: Sindh United Party (SUP) and a number of nationalist groups subscribing to the ideology of veteran political and nationalist leader G.M. Syed held separate programmes in Sann on Friday to celebrate his 116th birth anniversary.

Thousands of activists and supporters of Jeay Sindh Tehreek attended the programme at their respective venues after visiting Syed’s grave to offer fateha and put flowers and rose petals on it.

The main programme was organised by the late Syed’s grandson and SUP chairman Syed Jalal Mehmood Shah, who spoke at length on the increasing sense of deprivation among people of Sindh due to alleged injustices with them by successive governments.

He strongly criticised past rulers for their lack of interest in stopping influx of people from other provinces into Sindh which, he said, had shattered economy of the province and caused unemployment among the indigenous population.

Mr Shah also expressed his concern over the multiple crises facing the country and said the present federal government might not be able to overcome them. He noted that an acute shortage of gas and electricity in Sindh had devastated the industrial sector in the province while water shortage had already destroyed the agriculture sector.

Nationalist groups hold separate programmes in Sann to celebrate G.M. Syed’s 116th birth anniversary

He said the late G.M. Syed always preached equal rights for all federating units but Sindh remained deprived of almost all its rights over decades.

The situation had deteriorated to the extent that jobless people were committing suicide, he said.

He pointed out Sindh appeared to be the richest province of the country in terms of its natural resources but much of its population lived below the poverty line while most of its highly educated and qualified people failed to get

jobs. The unemployment graph in the province was constantly rising due to wrong and discriminatory policies pursued by the successive governments, he added.

Mr Shah called for a judicious distribution of water among provinces, provision of Sindh’s due share in the NFC (National Finance Commission) award and equal job opportunities for everyone on a merit basis in the public as well as private sector.

He noted that oil firms working in Sindh were earning billions of dollars by exploring the natural resource but were not ready to prefer local people in recruitment. He said Sindh must be given its due right on its natural resources.

Mr Shah also called for amending the Constitution in order to stop settlement of “outsiders” in Sindh and Balochistan.

He also called for justice to be done with sugar cane growers and supported their demand fixing of Rs250/40kg rate for their crop of the current season.

SUP general secretary Roshan Ali Buriro told the audience that G.M. Syed was a great scholar, philosopher and politician. He pointed out that the veteran leader had authored 52 books to propagate his ideology and provide guideline to the masses.

He described the late Syed as founder of modern nationalism.

Retired Justice Waj­eehuddin, Baloch nationalist leader Abdul Hayee Baloch, Awami Jamhoori Party leader Vishnomal, Awami Tehreek leader Abdul Qadir Ranto, SUP’s Syed Zain Shah, Khalil Jan Sarhandi, Syed Zia Shah, Idrees Chandio, Jagdesh Ahoja, Ameer Ali Thebo and Sheeba Mughal also spoke.

In the morning, Syed Jalal Mehmood Shah and his family members laid a wreath on G.M. Syed’s grave and offered fateha to inaugurate the birth anniversary programme.

Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz (JSQM) leader Sanan Qureshi, Dr Niaz Kalani, Amjad Mahesar and leaders of JSQM-Arisar, Jeay Sindh Mahaz-Riaz, Jeay Sindh Tehreek, Jeay Sindh Liberal and Jeay Sindh Qaum Parast Party followed suit.

Published in Dawn, January 18th, 2020