HYDERABAD, Oct 2: A large number of writers and members of the Sindhi Adabi Sangat expressed dissatisfaction over the overall performance of the secretary-general of the Sangat, Zulfiqar Siyal, and said that he had hatched a ‘conspiracy’ to divide the Sangat into two groups.

A meeting was held at Khairpur on Sept 28, which reviewed the performance of the Sangat and alleged the secretary-general of taking dictatorial and unconstitutional decisions.

In a signed statement faxed to Dawn, here on Monday, over two dozen writers said that the secretary-general had become a “Chaudhry” and by violating the constitution of the organisation.

They said that in violation of the decisions of the working committee, he had dissolved 19 active chapters of the Sangat and given new affiliation to 14 other chapters to level ground for the next elections.

Rejecting these decisions, the writers said that if these unconstitutional steps were not withdrawn, a meeting of the Sindh council will be convened to express no confidence against the secretary-general.

They said that the secretary-general was also trying to distort the history of the Sangat by trying to organise the so-called golden jubilee celebrations on the plea that the Sangat was founded in 1956.

They claimed that the organisation was founded in 1947, and its golden jubilee conference had already been held in 1997. They said that this meeting was converted into a condolence meeting due to the death of Shaikh Ayaz.

They said Ayaz Gul was the then secretary general of the Sangat.

They alleged that Zulfiqar Siyal in collaboration with Syed Mazhar Jamil was trying to seek financial help from the Pakistan Academy of Letters for writing the history of the Sangat.

They warned that this move will be challenged and demanded of the chairman of the academy, Iftikhar Arif, not to accord permission for writing a controversial book about Sangat.

The signatories to the statement included Taj Joyo, Ayaz Gul, Adal Soomro, Sarkash Sindhi, Munir Solangi, Mumtaz Bukhari, Murtaza Junejo, Ibrahim Kharal and others.