DADU, Nov 9: Fourteen local Muttahida Qaumi Movement (mqm) leaders and 100 activists have resigned from the basic membership of the party to protest against the party’s stand on the language issue.

They also announced to close MQM units they had set up in the Dadu district.

The leaders, Sardar Imam Bux Panhwar, Habibur Rehman Panhwar, Shahid Hussain Kabooro, Abdul Fatah Panhwar, Bashir Ahmad Birhamani, Qadir Bux Mallah, Abdul Wahab Panhwar, Abdul Haq Pirzado, Abdul Wahid Mallah, Rauf Sindhi, Mehboob Birhamani, Nazeer Ahmad Panhwar, Mujeebur Rehman and Sajid Ali Panhwar, and the activists announced their resignation at the press club here on Wednesday.

Later, Imam Bux, Habibur Rehman and others told a rally that Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad had created differences between Urdu- and Sindhi-speaking people by issuing a notification to exclude teaching of Sindhi in intermediate classes.

They alleged that Sindh had suffered because of such wrong policies of the Muttahida. They said they could not support MQM leaders on wrong policies like their stand on the language issue and, therefore, they had decided to close all MQM units in the district in protest.

They said the governor should visit Dadu and clarify his position on the language issue. They also demanded that the MQM chief should take notice of the matter.

They appealed to Sindhis not to support the MQM on wrong steps like the proposed amendment to the Sindhi Language Act 1972.

They said they would not allow any party or people to implement plans against Sindh and Sindhi language.