DURING question hour, Sindh Home Minister Dr Zulfiqar Mirza told the Sindh Assembly that there were 1,563,000 illegal immigrants in the province ... However, he expressed the inability of the government to [expatriate them] and said although there were laws to repatriate the aliens ... unavailability of funds [restricted] their implementation.

An increasing number of illegal immigrants ... residing in Sindh are putting pressure on the resources of the province.... According to ... official figures, Sindh has 1,563,000 illegal immigrants, while different surveys and studies of some social and political organisations say that the [true] numbers are double the official figure. These might be immigrants who were staying here illegally, but those immigrants who through different means managed to get national identity cards ... should also be counted in this category. A large number of illegal Bangladeshis were issued cards during the previous government....

Dr Mirza, in his reply, stated that as per figures ... of a total 1,563,385 aliens residing in Sindh, the highest number comprised Bengalis (823,360), Indians (16,400) and Sri Lankans (300) etc.

The first impact of illegal immigrants is ... ethnic and socio-cultural imbalance in the ... province. The local people are being turned into a minority. This is not an ordinary situation. But it is a matter of national and cultural identity. It appears a lame excuse that the Sindh Assembly should pass a resolution and only then would the government move to repatriate aliens. It is strange logic.

...Experts believe that the imbalance in resources ... creates a crisis.... Such a crisis can only be resolved by controlling the population. The burden of illegal immigrants can be reduced

and these resources utilised by the local population.

Today the country is braving terrorism. Sindh has been a victim.... There are proofs of involvement of some illegal immigrants in such incidents. Why are the government and home department waiting for the Assembly to pass a resolution to end this terrorism? At present, the plea of the home department is that the policy exists but there are no funds. Suppose the Sindh Assembly passes the resolution ... where would these funds come from?

If at all the home department needs a resolution, why isn`t such a resolution passed? There is a dire need to reduce the burden caused by illegal immigrants and Sindh`s people should be saved from being converted into a minority. — (Feb 8)

Selected and translated by Sohail Sangi