HYDERABAD, March 21: The Sindh National Party hosted a reception at the press club here in honour of newly-elected office-bearers of the Sindhi Abadi Sangat. Speakers at the reception demanded that the demolition of old Sindhi villages in Karachi and Hyderabad should be stopped forthwith, the settlements should be regularized and residents should be given proprietary rights.

In his welcome address, SNP chairman Ameer Bhambhro said that the main objective of the reception was to seek advice from writers about the ongoing struggle for the rights of Sindh.

He said that writers could not remain indifferent to problems confronting the Sindhi nation.

He said that all political parties, social welfare organizations and intellectuals should contribute to the struggle for the rights of Sindh.

The newly-elected secretary general of the Sangat, Dr Zulfiqar Siyal, said that the writers had never legged behind in any struggle for the rights of Sindh.

He said that Sindhi writers were seldom paid any compensation for their creative work.

Noted poet Sarkash Sindhi said that writers could not remain silent on the problems of Sindh and they had every right to take part in protests on national issues.

Yousuf Sindhi said that school teachers were also reporters and instead of teaching students and attending classes, they were writing press reports.

Inam Shaikh, Ayaz Latif Palijo, Mansoor Qadir Junejo, Dr Mushtaq, Zeb Nizamani and Nisar Hussain spoke on the occasion.

The meeting adopted several resolutions, calling upon the writers to take effective steps to save the educational system of Sindh.

The gathering demanded that revenue generation instead of population should be made the basis of NFC award and Sindhi language should be given the status of national language.

It demanded that illegal entry of outsiders through the Khokhropar route should be stopped forthwith and all people who had entered Sindh after 1954 should be expelled from the province.

It opposed the construction of any dam on the Indus River and demanded that the grant of all the educational and literary institutions should be increased, medical treatment should be provided to the writers free of cost and Sindhi language should be introduced as a compulsory subject in class XI.

CONVOCATION: Over 200 graduates and postgraduates were awarded degrees at the fourth convocation of the Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam, on Monday.