Press Release
SANA: Sufferings of Sindhis continue under PPP regime
Sindhi Association of North America (SANA) has said that the people of Sindh who
had been living under discriminatory governments for many years had elected PPP
with expectations that it would end their sufferings after it came to power. But
it is very unfortunate that the plight of the people has continued unabated
under the PPP government.
In the resolutions adopted at the 25th annual convention that just ended in
Saint Louis, MO, SANA said the surrender of duly elected government to the black
mail of MQM has worsened the situation as MQM’s domination of the provincial
government continues and the development funds are either being diverted to
large cities or withheld by the government. It said that Sindhis continue to
feel helpless at the inability of the elected PPP government to fulfill the
promises that the party made to their constituencies.
SANA demanded that the coalition government in Sindh should achieve a balance by
bringing an end to continued discriminatory practices and ensuring equitable
share of Sindhis in educational and economic opportunities. It urged that both
federal and Sindh provincial governments should initiate affirmative action
programs to alleviate degrading poverty among rural Sindhis and massively
increase educational opportunities in rural areas.
SANA also condemned the recent killing of three Sindhi demonstrators and
demanded a judicial inquiry and financial compensation to the families of the
victims.
In another resolution SANA called upon the PPP and Sindhi nationalist parties to
begin a dialogue on a joint strategy for alleviating problems faced by Sindhis
and bring welfare to rural population.
As the amalgamation and bifurcation of old districts in the cities of Hyderabad
and Karachi have failed to live to their promise of progress SANA demanded that
old district structure in the cities of Hyderabad and Karachi be restored.
SANA called for autonomy and sovereignty for the provinces according to the 1940
Resolution with only the subjects of defense, telecommunications, currency,
foreign affairs and inter-provincial coordination to stay with the federal
government. It said the provinces should be given ownership of the oil, gas,
mineral and other resources and the Senate should be made more powerful giving
it authority to initiate money bills and approve key federal appointments
including high court judges and chiefs of the armed forces. Senate should also
be recomposed with each province having 25 members.
In a resolution SANA demanded a just water apportionment on the basis of the
1945 Sindh-Punjab agreement, compensation to Sindh for the reduced water share
during last 50 years, stoppage of work on Greater Thal Canal and any dams
upstream. It asked the federal government to assist and promote construction of
hydroelectric projects in Sindh.
SANA demanded that Punjabi, Siraiki, Sindhi, Pushto and Balochi be declared as
national languages in Pakistan and 1972 Language Act be implemented.
SANA called upon the federal and provincial governments to take steps to
discourage any mass migrations to Sindh from other provinces or foreign
countries that threaten the majority of Sindhis in Sindh. It asked for the steps
to encourage those who have already migrated to Sindh to return to their home
countries and home provinces.
A SANA resolution said that as the economic disparity between rural Sindh and
Balochistan with respect to other areas have reached a crisis point particularly
in health and education sectors, the USA, other countries and international aid
institutions should specifically earmark assistance to improve health and
education in Sindh and Balochistan.
A large number of people attended the four day SANA silver jubilee convention.
The Vice Chancellor of the University of Sindh, Mazharul Haq Siddiqui and
founder of the American Institute of Sindhulogy Dial V. Gidwani were the keynote
speakers at the convention while Speaker Sindh Assembly Nisar Ahmed Khuhro was
the main speaker at the convention’s speakers’ session. Other speakers included
MNA Gul Mohammad Jakhrani, Dr Suleman Shaikh, head of Mehran TV Ghulam Nabi
Morai, secretary Sindh Democratic Forum Zulfiqar Halepoto, Nazeer Essani and
Sikander Baloch.
A number of sessions were held during the convention that included a session on
hepatitis in Sindh, a Sindhi literary session, a medical seminar, a
commemorative program on the occasion of the centennial birthday of Professor
Abdul Ali Qalbani, ladies and youth programs and Sindhi music program. Local
youth presented fashion show, a humorous skit, dances and other items. Sindhi
singers included Ghansham Vaswani from India, Stephen Diwan from New Jersey and
Versha and Kiran Manjiani from UK.
Aziz Narejo
TX