SINDHI ASSOCIATION OF NORTH AMERICA
Convention 1990
Washington DC
Sixth SANA Convention (July 1-4, 1990 – Washington DC)
The
historic sixth General Body meeting of SANA was held in
Washington DC with many speakers, panelists, and other advocacy
activities for the protection of Sindhi rights. Jiji Zarina Baloch
awakened Sindhi audience with her rendering of nationalist and
revolutionary songs of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai and Shaikh Ayaz. The
Local Oragazing Committee consisted of Dr. Badar Shaikh as Chair,
Sarfraz Memon, Aleem Brohi, and Abdul Nabi Memon. Dr.
A. W. Bhatti arranged the of Congressman Obey to address a
session of the SANA meeting. Seven Student Awards were given to those
Sindhi students in North America, who had achieved a grade point average
of 3.5 and SAT score of 1350. A distinction award called the “Scientist
Award” was given to a Sindhi lecturer in Pakistan. Various delegates
visited a Congressman, US State Department, and Asia Watch
Human Rights group. Dr. Aftab Kazi and Dr. Askar Qalbani organized
these meetings.
The reports presented at the convention highlighted the following achievements:
·
Mr. Anwar Shaikh, Legal Advisor of SANA informed that SANA was
incorporated as a “Not for Profit” organization in the State of New
York.
·
SANA West Coast chapter published an impressive newsletter titled
INDUS. The editorial Board comprised of Irshad Kazi, Sani
Panhwar, Saleem Ursani, and Ashraf Memon
·
Aftab
Kazi
and Dr. Naranjan Dudani represented SANA at 25th
Silver Jubilee meeting of Sindhi Association of Metropolitan Chicago.
Aftab Kazi made a comprehensive presentation on historic ties
between Sindhis in Sindh and Sindhi Diaspora and suggested venues for
interactions between the two Sindhi communities. The meeting was dubbed
as the initiation of interaction between Sindh-based and Hind-based
Sindhis since the Sindhi Diaspora began after August 1947.
·
he convention also discussed the possibility of holding a world
Sindhi convention of all Sindhis irrespective of their religious
orientation.
·
The President of SANA reported that from its inception to now, SANA
Executive Council conducted annual surveys soliciting detailed
input from members on how SANA could do better to improve the
organization and meet the expectation of membership. He also described
the process the Executive Council decision-making process. The process
consisted of discussing all matters, taking formal votes, documented all
its decisions on a form called Vote/Voice Communication Form (VCF)
and the distribution of VCFs to its members.
·
The results of the December 1990 survey were discussed at the
convention. The survey was sent to 260 paid members was responded by 50
members (19.2%). Throughout these years, three SANA programs secured the
highest ratings: SANA General Body meetings, SANA Newsletter “SANGAT”,
and SANA Membership Directories. The surveys also showed a strong
support other SANA supported publications such as SINDH MONITOR,
SANGAT WORLD, SANEH, and Sindh Journal of Asian and African
Affairs. Other programs such as Video History of Sindh, Sindhi
Language Instructor Video also received considerable support. As SANA
members had diverse views on political matters and religious matters.
SANA always kept away from supporting any political party or engaging in
activities that could be misconstrued as favoring one religion over
another or one political party over other. The membership clearly told
SANA Executive Council to solely focus on Sindh and
Sindhis and not get carried way with Pakistani or Indian politics as
it could be dividing for the SANA community.
·
SANA provided a loan of $ 1,500 to a Sindhi student who was short on
funds for paying tuition fees.
·
SANA also initiated projects in response to requests to provide
computer equipment to the Institute of Sindhology, Mehran
Engineering College (Nawabshah) and Mehran Educational Foundation,
·
In order to focus SANA on Sindhi Rights, SANA EC approved a proposal by
Iqbal Tareen to start an English publication “Sindh Monitor”
to present Sindh’s point of view.
·
It was reported that SANA had successfully collaborated in the
formation of Australian Sindhi Association (ASA) in December
1989. A briefing was held on the ASA’s project for filming a
documentary “Blood of the Indus”. Both SANA and ASA proposed to
organize a moot of all Sindhi associations’ overseas and to work form a
federation of all Sindhi associations.
·
The first organized demonstration sponsored by SANA took place on
March 25, 1990 in New York against the ant-Sindhi programs of
Asian TV for their anti-Sindhi and pro-MQM reporting of ethnic
disturbances in Karachi and Hyderabad.
·
It was not
only SANA Executive Council that was active in promoting Sindhi
interests but also individual SANA members took many initiatives on
their own. These included letter writing campaign by Mr. Rafik Mughal
to various embassies and the President of the USA. The publication of
Newswatch by Dr Mithal Vakassi, Kauser Bhutto, and
Manzoor Shah informed world about the plight of Sindhis.
A
report on SANA’s financial condition highlighted the following
achievements;
Net
Assets
$14,152(1990) $ 13,489 (1989) $ 4,705 (1988)
Total Income $17,210 (1990) $ 21,415 (1989) $8,669 (1988)
Total
Expenses
$ 16,543 (1990) $12,661 (1989) $ 7,903 (1988)