Speakers at the Sindh Unity Conference on “Social and Political Situation of Sindh” underlined the need for holding a continuous dialogue among the representatives of various segments of people living in the province. They called for protecting the political rights of Sindhi people in the province due to the impending threat of converting the Sindhis into minority owing to the influx of people from other parts of the country and abroad, particularly in Karachi.
The conference was organised by the Sindh Civil Society Forum in collaboration with Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (PILER) and Strengthening Participatory Organisation (SPO) at the Karachi Press Club on Tuesday.
Intellectuals, human rights and women rights activists, lawyers, writers, journalists, trade union and student leaders and civil society activists unanimously demanded of the state to play its role and protect the lives and properties of its citizens. The participants expressed concern over the growing lawlessness and increasing poverty in Sindh.
A resolution passed at the end of the conference read: “We are very concerned about continued wave of target killings in Karachi and demand of the state, political parties and other stakeholders to play their due role and bring all these inhuman actions to an end.”
It condemned the demands and attempts to divide Sindh and resolved to work for the unity, harmony and peace in the city.
“We strongly condemn the attack on the peaceful participants of “Mohabat-e-Sindh rally of May 22 and demand of the government to apprehend and punish the culprits,” it said.
The speakers expressed concern over the worsening law and order situation in Sindh where innocent people were being killed on the basis of tribal, linguistic and sectarian differences.
They also deplored the incidents of kidnapping for ransom, extortion from traders and killings in the name of honour.
Karamat Ali of PILER said that if people migrate to other countries they have to go through a process of naturalization and wait for a certain period to exercise the right to vote or contest the elections. But this was not being practiced in Sindh or Pakistan, he said, adding that the Sindhis were feeling that they were being deliberately converted into minority in their own province because of the influx of aliens. He called for ensuring political rights of Sindhis in the province. He, however, added that all the problems could be resolved through the process of dialogue.
Former President of Supreme Court Bar Association Rashid A. Razvi said that the civil society had supported the lawyers’ movement in 2007, which made it successful, “but there is no justice in society and every citizen is facing hardships due to the lack of governance”. Razvi deplored that the civil society was not united on poor people’s problems and was silent on the genuine issues of the masses.