HYDERABAD, July 20: Nationalists have lashed out at PML-N leader Mian Nawaz Sharif’s use of term ‘Sindh card’ and said it is a slight on the sacred land of millions of Sindhis to call their motherland a ‘card’.

While signing a declaration about an electoral alliance with Sindh United Party in Karachi on Thursday, Mr Sharif had stated that President Zardari’s Sindh card had run out of credit.

“It is grossly inappropriate that Sindh is repeatedly referred to as a card both by the PPP and PML-N. Sindh is our homeland and sacred to us,” Secretary General of Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz Asif Baladi said.

“Using such terms in politics is not fair. To me, there is no difference between the PPP and PML-N because both seek to safeguard their political-cum-power related interests through such tactics,” he said.

“But the leadership of the two parties should keep in mind that people are conscious and sensitive to the use of such words for their motherland,” he said, adding that Sindh had thousands of years old history where people with a distinct civilisation lived for generations.

About the PML-N-SUP alliance, he said every party had the right to form alliances “but the PML, right since its inception, negates the concept of existence of different nations in Pakistan”.

Such tactics, he said, were part and parcel of power politics. The parties had even made ‘democracy’ a card besides Sindh and Islam. “But this is not appropriate because Sindh has a history of thousands of years and we will not let anyone use it for power politics,” he said and sought an explanation from Syed Jalal Mehmood Shah, president of SUP.

“Nawaz Sharif and so-called nationalists are terming Sindh a card,” said chairman of Jeay Sindh Mahaz (J) Abdul Khaliq Junejo. These nationalists, he said, accepted the existing system and wanted to keep the PPP out.

“Even Sindh Nationalist Progressive Alliance is no more talking about changing the system,” he said.

He said that PPP had exploited the issues of Sindh and now nationalists were trying to find a niche for themselves in the present system and talking of elections.

He said the nationalists were now talking about provincial autonomy within the framework of the 1973 Constitution which stood for snatching the rights of nations, instead of giving them.

Interestingly, he said, the nationalists also talked about G.M. Syed who had termed the 1973 Constitution a ‘murderer’ of nations when it was adopted.

Mr Junejo said there was no difference between PPP and PML-N as the latter wanted to occupy the powerhouse by throwing the former out.

He said those who were talking about giving Sindhis their rights within the present constitutional framework were deceiving people.

“PPP had got the 1973 Constitution written to appease Punjab, and now SUP is supporting the document for the same purpose, appeasing Punjab,” he said. “It is this constitution under which natural resources of Sindh have been usurped and outsiders have settled in Sindh. On what grounds supporters of the constitution claim themselves to be nationalists,” he asked.

Jalal Mehmood Shah said that Sindh could not be considered a card. But, he said, in reality PPP had always used the province as a card.

“Either it is the issue of Sindhi cap or Ajrak the party exploits it to the hilt only to perpetuate its rule and hide its corruption. It never talks about genuine rights of Sindh,” he said.

He clarified that the PML-N and SUP had their own policies and ideologies and the two parties would just have seat adjustments in elections.

“We are assured by PML-N that they are thinking beyond the 18th Amendment that speaks about autonomy because nationalists also don’t consider it as a correct answer to the question of autonomy,” he said.

He said that PML-N was also a centrist party like the PPP but the PPP and MQM considered Sindh to be their fiefdom. The SUP opposed both and Sharif was averse to it. “We are opposed to rural and urban jagirdars,” he said.

The SUP is not a party to political controversies involving PML-N and PPP. “Only recently President Zardari criticised Sharif for getting closer to nationalists to which PML-N leader reacted,” he said.

He said that none should consider Sindh a card. “Deprivations of Sindh are real and we have tried to give the federation a way forward through our political wisdom because Balochistan is adopting a different course on the issue of autonomy. We have told Nawaz Sharif that since he comes from the largest province he must show large-heartedness,” he said.HYDERABAD, July 20: Nationalists have lashed out at PML-N leader Mian Nawaz Sharif’s use of term ‘Sindh card’ and said it is a slight on the sacred land of millions of Sindhis to call their motherland a ‘card’.

While signing a declaration about an electoral alliance with Sindh United Party in Karachi on Thursday, Mr Sharif had stated that President Zardari’s Sindh card had run out of credit.

“It is grossly inappropriate that Sindh is repeatedly referred to as a card both by the PPP and PML-N. Sindh is our homeland and sacred to us,” Secretary General of Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz Asif Baladi said.

“Using such terms in politics is not fair. To me, there is no difference between the PPP and PML-N because both seek to safeguard their political-cum-power related interests through such tactics,” he said.

“But the leadership of the two parties should keep in mind that people are conscious and sensitive to the use of such words for their motherland,” he said, adding that Sindh had thousands of years old history where people with a distinct civilisation lived for generations.

About the PML-N-SUP alliance, he said every party had the right to form alliances “but the PML, right since its inception, negates the concept of existence of different nations in Pakistan”.

Such tactics, he said, were part and parcel of power politics. The parties had even made ‘democracy’ a card besides Sindh and Islam. “But this is not appropriate because Sindh has a history of thousands of years and we will not let anyone use it for power politics,” he said and sought an explanation from Syed Jalal Mehmood Shah, president of SUP.

“Nawaz Sharif and so-called nationalists are terming Sindh a card,” said chairman of Jeay Sindh Mahaz (J) Abdul Khaliq Junejo. These nationalists, he said, accepted the existing system and wanted to keep the PPP out.

“Even Sindh Nationalist Progressive Alliance is no more talking about changing the system,” he said.

He said that PPP had exploited the issues of Sindh and now nationalists were trying to find a niche for themselves in the present system and talking of elections.

He said the nationalists were now talking about provincial autonomy within the framework of the 1973 Constitution which stood for snatching the rights of nations, instead of giving them.

Interestingly, he said, the nationalists also talked about G.M. Syed who had termed the 1973 Constitution a ‘murderer’ of nations when it was adopted.

Mr Junejo said there was no difference between PPP and PML-N as the latter wanted to occupy the powerhouse by throwing the former out.

He said those who were talking about giving Sindhis their rights within the present constitutional framework were deceiving people.

“PPP had got the 1973 Constitution written to appease Punjab, and now SUP is supporting the document for the same purpose, appeasing Punjab,” he said. “It is this constitution under which natural resources of Sindh have been usurped and outsiders have settled in Sindh. On what grounds supporters of the constitution claim themselves to be nationalists,” he asked.

Jalal Mehmood Shah said that Sindh could not be considered a card. But, he said, in reality PPP had always used the province as a card.

“Either it is the issue of Sindhi cap or Ajrak the party exploits it to the hilt only to perpetuate its rule and hide its corruption. It never talks about genuine rights of Sindh,” he said.

He clarified that the PML-N and SUP had their own policies and ideologies and the two parties would just have seat adjustments in elections.

“We are assured by PML-N that they are thinking beyond the 18th Amendment that speaks about autonomy because nationalists also don’t consider it as a correct answer to the question of autonomy,” he said.

He said that PML-N was also a centrist party like the PPP but the PPP and MQM considered Sindh to be their fiefdom. The SUP opposed both and Sharif was averse to it. “We are opposed to rural and urban jagirdars,” he said.

The SUP is not a party to political controversies involving PML-N and PPP. “Only recently President Zardari criticised Sharif for getting closer to nationalists to which PML-N leader reacted,” he said.

He said that none should consider Sindh a card. “Deprivations of Sindh are real and we have tried to give the federation a way forward through our political wisdom because Balochistan is adopting a different course on the issue of autonomy. We have told Nawaz Sharif that since he comes from the largest province he must show large-heartedness,” he said.