HYDERABAD, Feb 29: The Sindh Democratic Forum (SDF) has expressed concern over attempts of Pakistan Peoples Party to form a ‘government of consensus’ in Sindh for which it is holding talks with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement.

In a statement mailed to Dawn, the convener of the forum, Abrar Kazi, and secretary, Zulfiqar Halepoto, said that the mandate given to the PPP by the people of Sindh was unique in nature.

“Not only is it their show of enormous love and affection for Shaheed Benazir Bhutto and her struggle and supreme sacrifice for her people and for restoration of democracy and Sindh’s rights but also on account of the humiliation, highhandedness and terrorism suffered by them at the hands of Arbab Rahim, Pir Pagara and MQM combine, backed and supported by the communalist government in the centre headed by Pervez Musharraf,” the leaders of the think tank said.

The PPP, they said, should remember that the majority of the people of Sindh have always voted for PPP since its creation and have suffered tremendously at the hands of the military dictators for this loyalty and also because of their support for pluralism, tolerance, democracy, rule of constitutionalism and law, and for peace and progress.

The PPP should not forget that the previous government of Sindh in which the MQM was a major shareholder had inflicted enormous wounds to Sindhi people and Sindh’s politics, chief among which was the constant conspiracy of taking Karachi away from rest of Sindh by making it a city government, denying jobs and admissions to Sindhi youths in Karachi, bifurcating Hyderabad district into four parts just to create an MQM- dominated district government thereby giving a serious blow to the integration of Sindhi people, they said.

They said withdrawing cases of heinous crimes like murder and arson against MQM criminals, foisting a governor who was wanted by police, doling out thousands of jobs to its supporters without merit, demolition of kutchi abadis of Sindhi people living in Karachi and Hyderabad while at the same time while regularising those of people speaking other languages, selling away large chunks of land in the coastal belt and islands of Sindh were steps specifically meant to hurt the interests of Sindhi people and the body politic of Sindh.

They said the MQM claims to be the harbinger of middle class politics but in practice it had strengthened the decaying feudal lords of Sindh by helping them to control districts of Sindh as their fiefdoms, reintroducing inhuman customs like murder in karo kari, abduction for ransom and jirga system. The incoming PPP government must undo all this, they demanded.

The forum leaders were of the opinion that PPP should form a government without succumbing to blackmail and added that MQM was an ethnic and communalist party that claimed to be national in character but demanded forcible representation for Karachiites, meaning Urdu speakers.

The forum leaders said that they considered all people living in Sindh as Sindhis, speaking different languages.

Therefore, the MQM’s demand for representation of a portion of Sindh was unjust and undemocratic and based on mischief, they added.