KARACHI - In the wake of growing demand of new provinces, the Sindh Assembly on Friday condemned the wall-chalking and pasting of posters in favour of ‘Mohajir’ province.
Expressing their anger, the lawmakers from all the parliamentary parties demanded the government to expose the hands behind this act and take action against them.
Sindh Assembly, which met under the chairmanship of Speaker Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, consumed the day with adopting two resolutions as no other business was part of the agenda other than question-hour.
After question-hour which pertaining to the jail department, Sindh Culture Minister Sassui Palijo, on point of order, drew attention of the House towards wall-chalking and pasting of posters in favour of ‘Mohajir’ province on the City walls and streets. She said that there was anger and concern among the people of Sindh over this act of ‘Mohajir’ province. She said such moves were meant to create hatred among the people of Sindh. As all the parties do not want division of Sindh, however if any party has wish to do so it should come on surface, she said.
Palijo warned that talking for division of Sindh meant to break Pakistan because Sindh was existed as a province before the creation of Pakistan.
“The people of Sindh will never accept the division of Sindh, either it is on administrative or ethnic basis. If anyone who has such thought to create new province from Sindh should bury it in his/her heart forever.”
Palijo said there was a systematic conspiracy behind the wall-chalking for ‘Mohajir’ province. She said all the people including Sindhi, Urdu and Punjabi speaking will never believe in division of Sindh but some miscreants wanted to create hatred among them.
Speaker Nisar Ahmed Khuhro interrupted Palijo, advising her that if she thinks it is an important issue she should table resolution. Later, lawmakers from the PPP, PML-F and NPP consulted and immediately prepared a resolution jointly.
The resolution, moved by Nusrat Sehar Abbasi of PML-F, was adopted by the House unanimously. Provincial minister and lawmakers including Sassui Palijo, Tauqeer Fatima Bhutto, Shazia Marri, Mir Nadir Magsi, Agha Siraj Durrani and others also signed the resolution.
Aamir Moin Pirzada of MQM said this was an important resolution. All the people living in Sindh were against the wall-chalking and pasting of posters for ‘Mohajir’ province in Karachi and condemn this act.
He suggested the government to look into the reasons for this demand of ‘Mohajir’ province and separatists who are struggling for ‘Sindhu Desh’ by harming the railway in the province.
MQM lawmaker said that such things of ‘Mohajir’ province were on surface for the last 25 years but the people from rural and urban centres of Sindh had rejected such elements by voting in favour of PPP and MQM.
Pirzada said that his party condemned the elements who were demanding for ‘Mohajir’ province and Sindhu Desh. He advised the government to sit together to look into the reasons of their uncertainty and hold dialogues with them so that the issue could be ended forever.
PPP’s parliamentary leader and Senior Education Minister Pir Mazharul Haq said, “We should not pay attention to such elements who want new province in Sindh. The people who are not digesting our unity are behind such wall-chalking.”
Later, the House adopted the resolution unanimously.
Meanwhile, the House passed another resolution moved by Dr Ahmed Ali Shah of PPP, which reads: “This Assembly recognises access to good health as the inalienable right of every individual as enshrined in Article 38 of the constitution of Pakistan and acknowledges that a healthy population is fundamental to the prosperity, security and stability of a nation and the cornerstone of economic growth and social development.”
Through the resolution, the Sindh Assembly recommended the government to ensure reduction of ‘health inequalities’ by discussing its root causes which include poverty, uncontrolled population growth, pollution, climate change, unemployment, malnutrition and illiteracy, forming a vicious circle reinforcing one another. Speaking in support of resolution, he said that if people of Sindh were deprived of basic facilities of education, health, employment, water, sanitation then how they will play their role in security of Pakistan.
Sindh Information Minister Shazia Marri supported the views of Dr Shah and said that Article 38-D also talks about the equal rights of all the citizens in basic facilities.
The chair adjourned the session until Monday.