HYDERABAD, Jan 6: The People's Party Parliamentarians has opposed the proposed bifurcation of the Hyderabad district and supported proposal of the district nazim, seeking creation of 17 towns and its elevation as the city district.

Speaking at a press conference at the press club on Thursday, the district president of the party, Sattar Bachani, MPA Zahid Bhurgari and Mohsin Shah Bukhari warned if the district, whose sizeable Urdu-speaking population can play a role of bridge between Mohajirs and Sindhis, was divided on ethnic lines, it would once again lead to hatred in the province.

They said the two communities had completely done away with the hatred over the past several years. They criticized the Muttahida Qaumi Movement for its duplicity over Sindh issues and said though it had changed its nomenclature but had floated proposal for the division.

They said the plan would vitiate peaceful atmosphere of the district where Urdu-speaking people and Sindhis had ironed out their differences created by the MQM. They said the city district government Karachi was created by merging five districts while Hyderabad was being divided to create a city district.

They said such issues negated President Musharraf's own policies and added that the MQM had foreseen its defeat in the next local bodies' polls. They said separate districts were created but no separate budgetary allocations were made by the Sindh government in annual budget.

They said if Hyderabad was bifurcated then PPP would not only move the court but it would also take to the streets. They said if the Sindh government forced any such decision on the people of Hyderabad an FIR would be lodged against the chief minister.