HYDERABAD, April 7: A former Sindh minister and the MPA from Tando Allahyar, Dr Irfan Gul Magi, has said that opponents of new districts did not want progress and prosperity of the people. He was speaking to newsmen at his residence here on Thursday before leading a rally in support of government’s decision of dividing Hyderabad into four districts. He said that the PPP had adopted a resolution in the Sindh Assembly in 1994 for the creation of Tando Allahyar district.

‘Why is it opposing the creation of district now,’ he questioned.

Mr Magsi said the government would achieve its goal of providing better facilities of health, education and employees though it knew it would incur a huge financial burden.

‘It is duty of the government to provide health, education and other facilities to people. Any where in the world the government is supposed to facilitate people in return for tax collection,’ he said.

Dr Magsi said colleges, schools and hospitals would

be constructed in the districts and 2,500 jobs would be creat-

ed in police alone in each district.

‘People will get their problems related to revenue, police and civil administration solved at their door steps,’ he said.

‘In fact the district nazim created rural-urban bias as he failed to bring rural population at par with urban population so that they can be given city government status,’ he said.

He dismissed claims of the opponents of the district that Hyderabad was divided on ethnic lines and claimed, of 52 union councils in the new districts; about 25 were administered by Sindhis and the rest by Urdu-speaking people, Punjabis and Pakhtun.

‘This shows Sindhis are in majority even in the Hyderabad city district, therefore, the question of ethnic divide does not arise,’ he said.

‘The identity of the city has not been undone and only those people are opposing the creation of districts who are least concerned about the rural poor,’ he said.

‘I request the opponents not to attempt to spoil peaceful atmosphere of the city where all ethnic groups are living in harmony for a long time,’ he said.