FOR … the people of Sindh, it is very encouraging news that President Asif Ali Zardari has [called for an] end to the [long-standing] feud … between the Mahar and Lund tribes in district Ghotki…. He further asked the chieftains of the two tribes to start [an] election campaign jointly. Though the president [made the call] … in the context of elections, [it] would reduce tension … between the two tribes, if they contest polls … and launch an election campaign jointly….

These tribal feuds [have] pushed the entire upper Sindh [into a hell-like state]. Shikarpur [is the] birthplace of the great poet Shaikh Ayaz and other … legendry personalities [while] many youth of this area used to study and get high positions in the government as well as the non-government sector, but now [it is] experiencing backwardness….

There were sittings in villages and towns where people used to share their experiences and wisdom, but all this has become … history…. One cannot travel from Shikarpur upwards without a convoy. People … have sleepless nights as the entire area is in the grip of … kidnappings, lootings and other crimes. A deep sense of insecurity prevails…. Education, agriculture and business [are] affected. In the last two decades a sizeable Hindu population has migrated from this area.

This area has been rich in producing rice, cotton and other commodities, but today its agricultural production has declined. Tribal feuds and lawlessness are the basic factors [behind] this…. It is painful [that the] rulers did not bother to pay attention to this … issue….

…If there [is] … peace, tourists might … visit … Moenjodaro, Gorakh Hill and many other [sites]. If the government is determined the resolution of all … tribal feuds is not [too] difficult…. —(Jan 9)

Selected and translated by Sohail Sangi.