Neither PPP represents Sindhis nor MQM-P custodian of Muhajirs: Kamal

Neither does the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) represent the Sindhis nor is the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) the custodian of the Muhajir community.

Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) Chairman Syed Mustafa Kamal said this on Saturday as he addressed a press conference at the Pakistan House, the PSP secretariat.

“Neither can the MQM break the motherland of Sindh, nor will the PPP save the province. Both the PPP and MQM have exploited the sentiments of the Sindhis and Muhajirs by creating rifts, and hatred amongst them on ethnic grounds,” he alleged.

He said that he was openly challenging all the custodians of the Muhajir cause who were talking about a new province to call him anywhere and have a ratiocination. “If they can persuade me, I will apologise to our Sindhi brothers and join the movement for the new province. Otherwise, the so-called contractors and Muhajirs will leave the movement of the new province.”

He maintained that the PSP would not allow the country and especially Sindh to be engulfed in riots.

Kamal said that his party had offered a three-point solution for 95 per cent of the problems in Pakistan and Sindh.

Explaining the solution, he said that firstly, the federal government should constitutionally link the launch of the national and provincial finance commissions. “The second point is to devolve powers and resources to the lowest level through constitutional amendments in the 18th Amendment,” he said, adding that the third point was that the entire chapter of the local government system be included in the constitution by introducing constitutional amendments, and all departments, including solid waste management, be subordinated to the mayor's office.

The PSP chief remarked that the chief minister had spent Rs8,300 billion in this province but the irony was that dog-bite medicines were not available in the hospitals. “In Sindh, the PPP has crossed all boundaries of prejudices. The PPP sows hatred among the oppressed Sindhis to prolong its rule. The party, which has been pursuing a biased politics since its inception, was the first in the province to introduce a language-based quota system,” he added.

Kamal alleged that due to the PPP’s prejudice, the properties of the people of Karachi were nationalised by its government.

He added that in the last 14 years, the PPP government did not introduce even a single new bus, no new hospital was built, and no new water line was laid down. “Yet, the existing transport and healthcare system has collapsed. All this was done on the basis of prejudice. It should be noted that Sindhis are our brothers. We are against the oppression of the PPP and not against Sindhis,” he clarified.

The youth of the urban Sindh were deprived of government jobs and such evil tactics of the provincial government had been causing a sense of deprivation among the Muhajirs, the PSP chief said.

He said that the people of Karachi did not harbour prejudices as people from other cities contested elections from this city and got elected. “Why can't other political parties of Sindh like the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional, Grand Democratic Alliance, Jatois, Shirazis, Mehrs, etc cannot see the biased attitude of the PPP against Karachi?” he asked.

He said that their silence meant supporting the tyranny of the oppressive PPP and the Sindhi leadership and intellectuals also had a responsibility to raise their concerns over civic affairs.

“Disappointment amongst Karachiites is growing and it will cause irreparable losses to the country if their concerns are not addressed,” he said.