Press Conference by the Sindh Democratic Forum at the Karachi Press Club on 31st July 2006

The members of Sindh Democratic Forum and the concerned citizens of Hyderabad and Karachi have with very great apprehension read the reports appearing in yesterday's (July 30th, 2006) newspapers that General Pervez Musharraf has called a meeting in Islamabad with the Chief Minister of Sindh and the big wings of MQM to settle Sindh Government Crisis over the resignations of MQM from the government.

It is greatly apprehended that the government of General Musharraf will succumb to the pressure tactics and blackmail of MQM, and bestow upon it following concessions :

1. It will grant them Hyderabad City Government by replacing District Government status, the summery of which proposal is presently sitting on the table of the Chief Minister of Sindh.

2. It will grant them one hundred and sixty five thousand (165,000) acres of precious lands belonging to the people of Sindh in Scheme # 33 to sell and to plunder.

3. It will grant them permission to fill thousands of jobs in the ministries controlled by MQM without merit, by inducting its cadres and nominees purely on political favoritism.

4. If past is any guide, there must be dozens of other demands besides these

When General Pervez Musharraf had gifted the Sindh government to the MQM and assorted feudals against all norms of democracy and fair play, he had declared that he had "BOUGHT" peace for Sindh. But you all know how much peace has been bought for Sindh. Recent newspaper reports and human rights organization's surveys and research has calculated that only Karachi has witnessed more than 34,000 robberies in the first six months of 2006, at an astounding rate of 200 thefts and robberies every day. And all this has happened with MQM having the Home Ministry in hands with control over Police and other law enforcing agencies and City Government authority.

We the concerned citizens of Sindh feel that these demands are anti-Sindh and anti-Sindhis in their spirit and character, and any step taken towards fulfilling even a single demand will very greatly damage prospects of harmony and peace of the province and the ethnic integration of the people of Sindh.

We place before you the following points for your perusal and judgment :

1. The present Hyderabad district, its institutions, industry & wealth was made possible by the resources of the whole of lower Sindh, specially the sub-divisions of Hala, Tando Muhammad Khan and Tando Allahyar. By breaking the original Hyderabad district 4 pieces and handing over the with most institutions to MQM, the labor & wealth of centuries of toil by the Sindhis of lower Sindh has been handed over to the ethnic group. This unjust scheme is therefore totally rejected and it is demanded that Hyderabad district be reverted to its original form immediately.

2. More so when two out of four taulkas of present Hyderabad district i.e. Hyderabad Rural and Qasimabad have passed resolution against the formation of the city Government. In such a scenario, any order passed by Sindh Government in favor of the City Government would be illegal and void ab-initio.

3. It is often said that General Musharraf is MQM's godfather. Others say that he is Islamabad sector incharge of MQM. What ever be the case you can see that his strategy of bringing the MQM to "BUY" peace for Sindh has not worked one bit. Any attempt to further bribe and pamper the MQM by granting it Hyderabad City government or one hundred and sixty five thousand (165,000) acres of priceless land of Scheme # 33, or jobs quota without applying constitutional quota System, will be equally useless without achieving the desired goal of peace.

4. We bring to you ladies and gentlemen's notice a resolution moved and passed in the Sindh Assembly in which it was resolved that all jobs in Karachi, within public or private sector must be given only to those holding Karachi domicile. There can be no bigger provocation and greater mischief than this resolution. Karachi as capital is an integral part of rest of the Sindh. It belongs to Sindh and was a thriving business centre long before Pakistan was conceived. We consider all these attempts at closing the doors of Karachi to the children of Sindh, as the most vile and anti- Sindhi action, which indicate the bent of minds of the movers of the resolution. At one end such senseless resolutions are passed and at the other end demands are being made to issue National Identity Cards to Bengalis and other illegal settlers. It means that the Bengalis and Beharis have more rights to Karachi and its jobs than Sindhis to whom the ownership of Karachi belongs and shall belong forever. We demand that MQM should never be given powers to create such mischief. There fore the lands of Scheme #33, Hyderabad City Government and jobs in Karachi should not be handed over to them. Joining five districts of Karachi to form one mammoth and huge City Government of 15 million people is the most unjust action taken by this government. It is demanded that to bring demographic balance and even representation, Karachi be reverted to five districts and two further districts of Liyari and Manghopeer be created.

Creation of the City Government in Karachi; the present proposal of converting Hyderabad district government in to Hyderabad City Government; intention of turning Mirpurkhas into City Government and breaking Thatta district by forming a southern Bhambhor district, all indicate the most vile and dangerous scheme of breaking the home land of Sindhi people, on ethnic lines, at a later date. This ill-intentioned move will never be allowed by Sindhi people and will create an extremely wounding and long-lasting conflict and disharmony in between the people of Sindh, speaking various languages, the responsibility of which will totally lie on the shoulders of Musharraf and is therefore totally rejected.