Plunder of Sindh’s resources continue while the State Institutions are strengthening feudal and extremist elements to weaken secular and progressive and national movement.
Sindh Courier Report
Karachi
Describing the 15-year One-Unit as the darkest period of Sindh’s history, the speaker at a moot here Friday regretted that the province is still deprived of its due rights.
“It was the Sindh Assembly that laid the foundation of Pakistan but Sindh itself is deprived of due rights even today,” they said at a conference held at the Arts Council to commemorate the golden jubilee of the dissolution of the One Unit. The One Unit was imposed in 1955 merging all the existing provinces into one West Pakistan and after a long struggle, it was abolished on July 1, 1970.
The speakers noted that the Sindh Assembly was the first assembly that passed a resolution in favor of Pakistan for the first time, providing a constitutional platform to the voices in favor of Pakistan. However, when Pakistan was formed the atrocities and injustices towards Sindh began. Karachi, the capital city of Sindh, was separated from Sindh and given to the possession of the Centre. Sindh University was expelled from Karachi. Sindhi medium schools in Karachi were closed down. The jobs, properties and factories of Sindhi people were snatched. However, the most lethal attack on Sindh was One Unit, a bid to end the thousands of years’ old separate identity and status of Sindh.
The speaker said that 15-year period of One Unit was the darkest period in the history of Sindh.
The fertile lands of Sindh were given to civil and military bureaucracy. People from other areas started settlement in Sindh with officials support.
When the Anti-One-Unity Movement was launched, not only political activists but writers, poets, teachers, students, lawyers, farmers, labors and shopkeepers took part in this struggle. Moreover, after 1947, for the first time women not only took part politically but also played a leadership role and they went to jail. During this movement a truly nationalist literature, both prose and poetry was created.
Talking about the present situation, the speakers said that injustice to Sindh and loot and plunder of its resources has been continuing. They said that in the shape of 1973 constitution a sort of indirect One Unit is still slapped on Sindh. However, they said that the 18th amendment is a welcome development towards giving some rights to Sindh and other provinces.
The speakers termed demographic changes due to influx of population from areas, construction of dams and canals on the River Indus, illegal possession of lands in the name development and rapid environmental changes as the most serious problems facing Sindh.
They said that the State institutions are strengthening feudal and extremist classes to weaken secular, enlightened and progressive movement for the national and class-based struggle of Sindh.
They regretted that in the nationalist movement of Sindh some vested interests were joining hands with feudal and extremist elements for their petty personal benefits.
They said that the Pakistan resolution of 1940 was basically an agreement and on its basis a new agreement should be inked with national entities in Pakistan. It was demanded that Bahria Town, DHA City, Zulfiqarabad, Thar coal project and such other anti-Sindh and anti-environment projects should be ended. A just water distribution should be ensured. To keep intact the historical secular cultural identity of Sindh influx of population should be controlled as per accepted International standards.
Conference, attended by a large number of political workers, labors, professors, youths, and women, was organized by the coordination committee and Arts Council of Pakistan. The event was the part of the golden jubilee celebrations that started from January 2022 and will continue till the year end.
The event was presided over by Abdul Khaliq Junejo chairman Jeay Sindh Mahaz and also addressed by Justice Rasheed Rizvi, Karamat Ali, former Advocate General Sindh and one of the leaders of Anti-One Unit Movement Masood Noorani, Nasir Mansoor, Prof Aijaz Qureshi, Comrade Zehra Khan, Mehnaz Rahman and Dr. Riaz Sheikh.
On the occasion, the English translation of the book written by Prof Aijaz Qureshi on the subject of the One Unit was launched. The program was moderated by senior journalist Yunus Mahar.
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