Sindhi organizations

World Sindhi Congress is deeply concerned at the latest announcement of Sindh government spearheaded by Pakistan Peoples Party with regard to regularising the so-called ‘kachi abadis’. WSC believes that this will result unfavourably disturbing very delicate demographic balance in Sindh for Sindhi people. WSC considers that Sindh has suffered one of the worst anti-indigenous people demographic changes in the modern world. Sindh’s cities and many major towns are already non-Sindhi and controlled by anti-Sindhi fascists which is severely hampering basic social development of Sindhi people.
Peoples Party should be well aware of the anti-Sindhi people actions undertaken by Musharaf’s dictatorial rule in collaboration with Sindh based fascist party. Sadly the present government has failed to show even basic moral duty and courage to revoke anti-Sindhi actions undertaken during that period against which even Peoples Party remained very vocal.
WSC demands that in deciding about kachi abadis the interests of indigenous people should be given paramount importance who have continuously suffered enormously particularly in the last 9 years Musharaf-MQM rule of Sindh.

Ms Suraiya Makhdoom, Senior Vice-Chair, World Sindhi Congress participated in the 9th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council held in Geneva.
During her visit, Ms Makhdoom spoke about the current situation in Sindh, attended the Human Rights Council, some of the NGOs briefings and met various delegates from all over the world.
Speaking in a briefing on South Asia, Ms Makhdoom highlighted the main current problems of Sindh, such as,
Centralising of Sindh resources without the consent of the people of Sindh Examples:
Coal resources of Sindh are being taken away by the central govt.
The so-called Federal government has taken control of the coal resources of Sindh by creating a new body through a notification only. Thar Coal Authority, established by the Federal government, is to be managed by the Federal government and not the Sindh government, which was doing so under the provincial law and authority.
The Peoples Party government in Sindh resisted the above take over first, but finally gave in. The people of Sindh and the civil society have been protesting against this high- handedness of the federal government, but to no avail.
Ms Makhdoom said the federal government has been interfering with the development of coal resources of Sindh. In 2004 a Chinese company invested $1.5 billion in Thar by installing machinery but the federal government forcibly shut down the project.
The above move of the Central government is unconstitutional as the constitution guarantees provincial autonomy in this matter. The present government has shown to be no different than their predecessors in usurping the resources of Sindh.
Motorways and High ways of Sindh: the Central govt has taken away many Motorways or highways of Sindh. So now the people pay toll tax on their roads to the Central government instead of the Sindh government. This again shows the federal government has no respect for the constitution of the country. It does not pay any heed to the sentiments of the people of Sindh and has no interest in their welfare and self esteem.
Sindh language: the website of Sindh Assembly is in English and Urdu, but not in Sindhi. So the people of Sindh can’t access their Assembly site in their language.
Elaborating the point Ms Makhdoom said that Sindhi language has been the target of Pakistani establishment right from the inception of the country. The present elected government too is continuing with the same policies and have shown no signs of redressing the damage done to Sindhi language by the previous regimes so much so that they have even failed to provide a website of the Sindh Assembly in Sindhi.
Answering the questions from the audience including the ones posed by MQM representatives, Ms Suraiya Makhdoom said Urdu was never in the Pakistan demand. There was no mention of Urdu in Pak Resolution of 1940 of any other proposals for the creation of Pakistan. Urdu was imposed only after the creation of Pakistan, which was resisted by Bengalis and by Sindhis.
As about Sindhi being the official language of Sindh, it is not a gift of Pakistan. Sindhi was the official language of Sindh even under the British rule. But immediately after the creation of Pakistan, Urdu became the national language of the country. Consequently Sindhi medium schools were closed down and so forth. Hence Sindh lost its language as well as many other things by joining Pakistan. When for the first time there was an elected govt in Sindh in the 1970s, Sindh Assembly passed the Sindhi Language Bill declaring Sindhi to be the official language of Sindh. But there were riots against this bill and the result is that Sindhi is official language only in name. The last MQM led government in Sindhi closed down many Sindhi medium schools. Previously there used to be some sign posts in Sindhi, but during the last government, all the sign posts in Sindh, especially in the cities have been written in Urdu and even the website of Sindh Assembly is not in Sindhi. PTV had only one hour programme in Sindhi, but Musharraf closed down that as well. Sindhi artists protested, but nothing happened.
The audience took a sympathetic view and even the Chair agreed that there were problems with the Sindhi language.
Reply to other questions, especially on the issue of Sindh always having Sindhi Chief Ministers, Ms Makhdoom said the during the last government, the Governor of Sindh, the Karachi Mayor and many ministers were Urdu speaking MQM members. So it is they who dictated the policies. Chief Minister was Sindhi, but from PML-Q who followed the government line. There was a time during the last government that there were less Sindhi speaking ministers in Sindh. Ms Makhdoom reminded the Chair that when she came to Geneva last time she had raised this issue of less Sindhi speaking Ministers in her briefing. It was only after the Sindhis protested that a few more Sindhi ministers were taken. The last government also demolished Sindhi people’s houses.
Apart form the briefings, Ms Makhdoom attended the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Council’s meeting with the NGOS. That was very useful. It was good to see and hear the OHCHR in person. This meeting focussed on hearing NGO’s concerns, suggestions, etc. for the conduct OF HR Commission business and other issues. The new UNHCHR, Ms Navanethem Pillay Comes from South Africa. She was a front-line, grassroots lawyer who acted as a defence attorney for many anti-apartheid campaigners and trades unionists. Her many illustrious assignments include serving as a judge on two of the most important international criminal courts of the modern times, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and International Criminal Court in the Hague.
During her visit to the UN, Ms Makhdoom also attended the meeting of the UNHR Council, where on 18th September she had the honour of listening to the Emeritus Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who presented the Report of the special fact finding mission on the HR violations of Israel in Beit Hanoun.

On 19th September the Council debated agenda Item 8 entitled “Follow-up and implementation of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action.” In this debate, Two NGOs, Association for World Education and International Humanist and Ethical Union referred to the honour killings and other crimes against women in Pakistan. Humanist and Ethical Union mentioned recent cases in Punjab and Balouchistan and quoted a Pakistani Senator as saying, “these are centuries old traditions and I will continue to defend them.”
To sum up, the above UN visit of the WSC was very productive as it put the latest case of Sindhi before the international community.

A demonstration was held on 03 August by Balochistan Action Committee (UK) in collaboration with World Sindhi Congress (WSC) in front of 10 Downing Street. The protest was organised to condemn the recent horrendous crimes of Pakistan military against innocent civilian Baloch people. Baloch, Sindhi and other human rights activists from all over the UK came to show their solidarity with Baloch people and their democratic struggle. The rally was addressed by Waja Akbar Barakzai, Samad Baloch, Mir Hussain Baloch, Mehrab Baloch and Lakhu Luhana. The speakers in their deliberations strongly condemned the vicious crimes of Pakistan military. They mentioned that scores of innocent civilians who could not flee, mostly children, women and elderly have been killed using chemical weapons. Pakistan army’s heinous crimes did not stop there. They have not even handed over the bodies of killed to their relatives and have been dumping these in the mass graves. The reason is that if they handover the bodies the world will know that they have used phosphorus bombs and the killed are children, women and elderly. Hundreds of Houses have been burnt and thousands have been forced to leave their homes to save their lives. The human catastrophe in Balochistan was considered of the dimensions of Darfur and Kosovo. The speakers demanded from the international community to intervene to stop the genocide of Baloch people. The speakers reiterated the killing of innocent Balochs will increase the resentment and resolve of Baloch people to get freedom from the yoke of Pakistani slavery. Towards the end of the rally a petition was submitted to the British Prime Minster by Langho and Dr Haleem Bhatti to request his urgent intervention and assistance to stop these heinous crimes against Balochs.

ISLAMABAD, July 26: The civil society organisations from Sindh on Saturday called upon the federal government to withdraw its decision of taking control of the Sindh Coal Authority, terming it a breach of provincial autonomy.Sindh Advocacy Group and Sindh Human Rights Group organised a protest rally in front of the camp office of the Rawalpindi Press Club here to register the anger prevailing among the people of Sindh against the decision of the federal government which has set up a Thar Coal Authority through a notification. The authority will be governed through a board comprising representatives of the federal government.The demonstrators were of the view that the federal government had deliberately infringed upon the autonomy of the provincial government by taking in its hand the control of a provincial department.The SCA was established by the Sindh government under a provincial law but the federal government took control of its management by creating a new body through a notification only, they said, adding this would amount to taking the natural assets of the province through illegal means in violation of the Constitution which guarantees provincial autonomy.“No government has the right to deprive the people of any province of their due share.” They said a Chinese company had in 2004 even invested $1.5 billion in Thar by installing machinery but the federal government forcibly shut down the project.The immediate withdrawal of such a decision is necessary for the integration of the country, they said.

World Sindhi Congress (WSC) has strongly demanded that anti-Sindh actions to usurp the Sindh’s coal resources should immediately be brought to an end. The establishment of Thar Coal Authority is salt on wounds of Sindhi people who have been discriminated and oppressed systematically and bitterly since inception of Pakistan . WSC believes this act of federal government is a brazen violation of Sindhi people’s rights on their own resources, is illegal and immoral. The action is bound to generate resentment of Sindhis that might have serious implications for present political set up who only came in power because Sindhi people voted them overwhelmingly. WSC demands from Peoples Party to stop vacillation and take a just and courageous stand as it is their duty and should not become party to one of worst anti-Sindh design. WSC has requested all political parties, human rights and civil society organizations to raise their voice to stop this injustice occurring.

Former Acting Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, Justice Rana Bhagwandas made a momentous keynote speech at the 24th annual SANA convention held in Dallas , TX July 3-6. He delivered his speech at the main convention session on July 5 to a jam-packed house. He received standing ovation twice from the audience who showed their respect and reverence to the courageous and the brave but very humble judge.

In questions and answers session, he said there was no need of any Constitutional amendment to reinstate the pre-emergency judiciary of November 3, 2007 and that the lack of the political will was the main hindrance in the restoration of judiciary. He also gave details of the verdict of the full bench of the Supreme Court on November 3, 2007 that asked the government machinery including civilian and army officials not to obey illegal orders and restrained judges from taking oath under any PCO.

It was a remarkable speech of historic importance. Here is the text of the speech:


Importance of Constitutionalism, Rule of Law and Independence of Judiciary

Justice Rana Bhagwandas, Supreme Court of Pakistan

“A century ago, pain had still to be taken for granted. It was regarded as inevitable even in the most advanced societies. Only a few optimists thought that humanity might eventually turn the corner to a painless future.” (J. M. Roberts)

It is observed that we are living a life in the time of challenge, tumult and change. Social and political events are unfolding at such a rapid pace that the present appears to have little connection to the past.

Philosophers have given their theories of the beginning of the state of nature. Rousseau said “Man is born free but is every where in chains”. Hobbes said “The life of man is nasty, brutish and short”. While Locke has something else to say “The state of nature has law of nature to govern it….Being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty or passions. Thus the law of nature stands as an eternal rule to all men, legislators as well as others”.

These are different views on the state of nature and the origin of the social contract. These can be reconciled by returning power to the people over their own lives. There can be no progress without freedom; no freedom without virtue; and no virtue without citizens. If we create good citizens the state of Pakistan will have every thing they need.

There is a powerful relationship between rights and democracy. Rights entail the equality. Without democracy rights have no meaning more so in despotic Governments. Rights promote empowerment and emancipation of the people. Rights properly understood constitute a delicate balance between the individual and state. Judicial review by an independent judiciary is the key to retaining the balance of power between the citizen and state.

Power teaches responsibility and responsibility limits power. Pakistan , today, needs not only lessons in the rights of private persons but also their responsibility as public citizens. The country needs a new view of the Constitution as the democratic source of the balance of power between the rights and duties of the individual and the state; between the legislative, judicial and executive organs of the sate and between the Federation, Provinces and Local Government.

All this ought to lead to an environment where people would enjoy liberties. The
State would ensure the security of the citizens and basic economic rights of every man, woman and child to food, clothing, shelter, education, health and employment opportunity.

The Constitution of Pakistan should be premised on the principle that the people are the real rulers and that certain rights are inalienable such as liberty of thought and expression, freedom from Government’s invasion of privacy, freedom from arbitrary confiscation of property, freedom from arrest without warrant, freedom of association and assembly etc. In short these rights would give rise to society with free press, wherein every person’s home is respected and trials are fair and where all the citizens enjoy their equal rights.

To achieve this we have to have a basic document in which these aims, aspirations, objectives and goals are written down along with an institutional structure. The Constitution, thus, is the fundamental law which has the superiority over all the institutions it creates, be it Legislature, Executive or Judiciary. The institutions or organs can not go beyond the powers vested in them by the Constitution.

In a Federation, the role of judiciary, as guardian of the Constitution becomes a matter of central importance. It is on this view of federalism, that doctrine of separation of powers is defined.

Judicial power is derived from the system of the division of powers and in exercising this power, the judiciary claims no supremacy over other organs of the Government but acts as the interpreter of the powers vested by the Constitution in the entire institutional edifice of the State. The judiciary, of course, has the power to hear and determine any matter or controversy which is brought before it. The superior judiciary is Judge of its own jurisdiction in all the civilized countries. If Constitutionalism and Constitutional Government are to survive, the judiciary should never leave it to the Government of the day to determine how much judicial control it will or will not tolerate. This is their Constitutional duty and it is best performed by adhering to the ancient saying that it is the part of the good Judge to appropriately perceive his jurisdiction.

The time has proved that the public opinion is for exerting and extending the jurisdiction of the superior courts. It is for judiciary to do its duty to defend the Constitution and not to allow the Government to degenerate into a police state. A State of Emergency , which is more contrived than real, can hardly provide an excuse for the destruction of Fundamental Rights and judicial powers.

The crude attempts like dissolution of the Constituent Assembly in 1954, the delay in holding elections under 1956 Constitution, the coup de-ta’t of 1958 followed by authoritarian rule, Martial Laws of General Yahya Khan, General Ziaul Haq and hypocritical suspension of Constitution by General Pervez Musharraf resulting in the perpetuation of his power hungry Government, were aimed at thwarting the way for a popularly elected Government and the administration of a democratic Constitution. An ambitious Government servant had the audacity to dismiss an elected Prime Minister and remove Judges of superior Courts at will and get away with his own statement that his action was extra Constitutional. Irony doesn’t end here, the hand picked judges not only let him off but certified that he was not at fault for his wrong action; it was the activism of the Supreme Court that compelled him to take such action and therefore the action was validated.

How much can one lament, the judiciary is guardian of legality, it means rule following reduction of arbitrariness on the part f officials. In the words of Bacon “Judges ought to be more learned than witty, more revered then plausible and more advised than confident. Above all things, integrity is their portion and proper virtue.”

What is justice after all? It is product of a Judge’s spirit and not merely intellect. Lord Denning says “the nearest we can get to defining justice is to say that it is what the right-minded members of the judges community, those who have the right spirit within them, believe o be fair.

Before I embark upon the subject of independence of judiciary, I must point out that under a written Constitution like that of Pakistan every citizen enjoys certain fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution and enforceable through the superior courts. The question that arises in a country where the majority of the people are living in rural areas in condition of poverty, ignorance and oppression, is how many are really aware of their rights and how many of them have the means and the capacity to approach the superior courts for enforcement of their rights. There is no state sponsored legal assistance system in Pakistan and access to Counsel for advice on constitutionally guaranteed rights and representations before superior courts might be affordable by a very few. Against this back ground when the courts themselves started taking notice on matters of public importance relating to the rights of the people their gesture was unfortunately branded as unwarranted judicial activism.

An independent judiciary, ladies and gentlemen, is an essential pre-requisite for the survival of democracy itself, like a representative Legislature and an accountable Executive. In this day and age a representative democracy does not mean that people simply choose their rulers for a given term and abdicate complete authority to them to govern them the way they feel like. The elected representatives are merely the trustees of the people and all authority conferred is to be exercised for the benefit of the people. The Legislature must make laws within the limits set out in the Constitution, the Executive Government formed by the majority group of the Legislature must act within the framework of the law and the Constitution and all power has to be exercised for the welfare of the people. An independent judiciary is required to ensure that the Legislature has acted within the framework of the Constitution and not invaded the fundamental rights guaranteed to the individuals protected by the Constitution. It must also see that the Executive has not merely acted within the framework of the law made by the Legislature but it has acted honestly, fairly and justly and in the public interest in the exercise of its powers. The courts do not assume the powers of the Executive. Nevertheless, they keep a very strict vigilance over the exercise of such powers.

The concept of judicial review has expanded a great deal in recent times. It was necessary because a greater measure of accountability of democratically elected representatives was needed. Obviously it is not feasible to go to the electorate every year for seeking a fresh mandate and perhaps the only way to sustain a truly represented democracy responsive to the interest of the people is by ensuring more effective checks through the instrument of judicial accountability, transparency, of public affairs, a vigilant press and public opinion. Independence of judiciary therefore bears a direct nexus with representative democracy.

The Constitutional order in Pakistan which does provide for an independent judiciary has been disrupted many a times through military intervention entailing promulgation of Provisional Constitutional Orders (PCO) requiring judges to take fresh oath of office etc. However, since mostly the entire State machinery had acquiesced to the act of usurpation barring a few judges refusing to take new oath and the people did not seriously protest, the dictators were able to get away with their actions. The remaining Judges in this predicament found ways to confer limited validity upon de-facto rulers to ensure continuity by describing them as extra-Constitutional deviations premised on the doctrine of State necessity. They nevertheless, asserted that the courts would continue to have the power to determine whether a particular action legitimately fell within the four corners of the limits of necessity.

The November 3rd, 2007 PCO however, was fundamentally different. The sole target of the Proclamation of Emergency and the PCO was the judiciary itself. The high-handed action was taken due to the presumed apprehensions of the dictator about his eligibility to remain in power or not. He was fearful that his glory and splendour might come to an end. His misconceived hallucination was so awesome that he indulged in such an uncivilized action which resulted in destruction and demolition of entire judicial edifice of the country.

All rights and liberties would look like ornamental pieces if these are not enforced in the true spirit by the courts. A new thinking, new values, new projections and a positivistic out-look with a determined action are essential to build up a solid foundation of independent judiciary.

The discussion would be incomplete if do not speak a few words about Rule of law. Though, so far, we have covered the society, state, Government, citizen’s rights, obligations and usurpation etc. but this needs to be brought within the parameters of the Rule of law.

Rule of law is an aspect of the British Constitution that has been emphasized by A. V. Dicey and it, therefore, can be considered an important part of British political thought. The critical feature is that individual liberties depend on it. Its success depends on the role of trial by courts and impartiality of Judges. The rights of individuals are determined by rules and not the arbitrary behaviour of the authorities. Every one, regardless of his position in the society is subject to law.

Supporters of written Constitution believe that as Society has had its liberties, more and more encroached upon by the Government, the Rule of law is more important than ever. Constitution ensures the principle of Rule of law and states that the Government authority is to be legitimately exercised only in accordance with established procedure. The hallmarks to the adherence of the Rule of law commonly include a clear separation of powers, legal certainty, the principle of legitimate expectation and equality of all before law. This principle is also mentioned in Aristotle’s ‘Politics’, where the rule of law implies both obedience to positive law and formal checks and balances on rulers and Judges.

Thomas Aquinas defined valid law as being one that:

- is in keeping with reason,
- was established by proper authority,
- is for the purpose of achieving good,
-and was properly communicated to all

To sum up one can quote Montesquieu who said, “Law should be like death which spares nobody”.

The concept of Rule of law per se says nothing of the “justness” of the laws themselves, but simply how the legal system upholds the law. As a consequence of this a very undemocratic Government one without respect for human rights can exist with or without a rule of law, a situation which has been applicable in our own country in the past, intermittently, for several years. However, the Rule of law is considered a prerequisite for democracy, and as such, has served as a common basis for human rights.

I will conclude with a maxim as it states “It is not the severity of punishment that deters the crime. It is surety of the enforcement of law that deters the crime”.

All individuals must be given the same rights without distinction to their social status, religion, political opinions, etc.

World Sindhi Congress (WSC) organised a welcome reception for Dr. Safdar Sarki on 14 June 2008. Sindhis, Balochs and other human rights activists from all over the UK and Europe came to attend the event in hundreds to salute Safdar’s courage and determination. The Hall of Sindhi Centre, in North London, was full to the capacity

The reception started with the national anthem of Sindh. Dr. Haleem Bhatti in his welcome speech described the circumstances in which Dr. Sarki was kidnapped and then continuously tortured. He told that Pakistani agency personnel from his residence in Karachi abducted Safdar on 24 Feb 2006. He remained missing for about 20 months and was eventually produced at the intense pressure of the Supreme Court. He was immediately arrested on fabricated charges and remained in detention until his release last month. He was inhumanely and continuously tortured during his disappearance and detention. This has resulted in severe damage to his health.

Ms. Suraiya Makhdoom, Senior Vice Chair, World Sindhi Congress, Mr. Qadir Jatoi, Mir Hussain Baloch, Mr. Sujan Rawtani and Lakhu Luhana in their speeches paid tribute to Safdar’s determination, sufferings, sacrifices and commitment to his motherland and people. They reiterated that in the current dismal political, social situation in Sindh, only genuine party and leadership could provide hope, and Safdar is capable of leading the way. The continuous and consistent struggle of World Sindhi Congress for Safdar’s release was also highlighted.

In his long, analytical and emotional speech, Dr. Sarki spoke about his torture and suffering during his disappearance under the hands of agencies. He said the enormous torture did make him physically weak to extent that he started crawling rather walking but it did not break his love and commitment for his people and motherland. He said that currently Sindh is at its worst juncture in history where its existence as a historical entity is at stake. If we fail to avert this disaster happening our future generations will never forgive us. He said Sindh is rich in every respect the only thing that we need is a real organisation that can scientifically and systematically struggle. He said I am not dithered by my inhumane suffering; I will go again to Sindh to play my role even if I have to give my life in the way. He said Sindhi people and Sindhi Diasporas have to play their role in the struggle. Dr. Safdar also thanked all individuals, parties and organisations, including WSC who struggled for his release.

Ms. Suraiya Makhdoom and Mr. Abdul Jabbar Qureshi presented Ajraks and Sindhi cap (topi) to Dr Sarki

The speeches were followed by nationalist and Sufi music by Harbans Singh and Jogi, which was greatly enjoyed by the audience. At the end of music, meal was served to the guests.

Former chief justice of the Sindh High Court Wajihuddin Ahmed has suggested that a new Karachi be built near Port Qasim for the settlement of old Sindhis and those Hindus who had migrated to India after partition and wanted to return to their native land.The retired judge made this suggestion during a presentation at a provincial autonomy seminar held here on Saturday. His idea received a big applause from the audience.He said this new Karachi should be a replica of old Karachi having the same Express Market, Boulton Market and Merewether Tower and other historical structures.Discussing the issue of provincial autonomy, Justice Wajihuddin Ahmed, who retired as a Supreme Court judge, agreed with other speakers that the issue was very important as it was linked to the survival of the country, saying that the sooner the issue was resolved the better for the nation.He said three states had faced serious crises and disintegrated during the 20th century because they had failed to address this issue. These states were Pakistan, the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia.However, he regretted that some politicians had used the issue as a bargaining chip to promote their personal agenda. He said the people of Sindh and Balochistan had suffered a lot due to the denial of their rights. While the Baloch had been victims of their own chieftains, Sindhis had suffered injustices at the hands of their feudal lords.Tracing the political history of Pakistan, Mr Ahmed said Pakistan had been converted into a police state instead of being made a welfare state.He observed that provincial autonomy could better protect interests of the two majority provinces -- Punjab and the NWFP -- rather than the minority provinces -- Sindh and Balochistan -- provided they understood the problem with an open mind.He said autonomy did not create divisions within the state, rather it made it more cohesive. In this regard, he gave the instances of India, the United States and the United Kingdom.The retired judge described the demands of the Baloch as just, saying that it was their legitimate right to demand control over their own resources and their apprehensions regarding Gwadar were correct.He said India had granted a special status to Indian-held Kashmir, wherein the right of vote and to buy property were not granted to people of other parts of Indian union under a special arrangement between the state government and the Indian Union.He also argued that the Balochistan issue could also be solved on the basis of this arrangement.The first session of the seminar, which was presided over by Syed Jalal Mehmood Shah, was addressed by Hameed A.. Haroon, Comrade Ram Chand , Ghulam Shah, former MNA Syed Qurban Ali Shah, Idrees Rajput, trade union leader Karamat Butt, Abrar Qazi and othersEarlier, speakers mostly accused successive rulers of the country of trampling the rule of the constitution, democracy and subjugating the smaller units of the country which they argued once had sovereign rights.They maintained that the rulers had violated all constitutional accords, including the 1940 Resolution and the 1973 Constitution, thereby depriving the smaller provinces of their resources.Analysing the autonomy issue in the historical respective, Hameed Haroon argued that once the issue was linked to the protection of rights of the minorities, but now after the creation of Pakistan, it was a multi-faceted one that needed to be re-examined. He said it could not be merely solved by revising the concurrent list, but needed to be looked into in a broader prospective and scientific ways.He said the situation could not be changed unless decision-making powers were transferred to the provinces, thereby empowering each federating unit to protect the rights of its citizens.Mr Haroon stressed the need for effective autonomy, empowering the people and protecting rights of individuals and this could not be achieved without an effective participatory role of the people.He deplored that no contribution had been made to the protection and promotion of Sindhi culture and language for the last 30 years. On the other hand, he recalled, it were the Hindus who had struggled for the separation of Sindh from the Bombay presidency.He called for a wider debate to discuss all aspects of the autonomy issue.Sabihuddin Ghausi, former president of the Karachi Press Club, criticised the military rulers for ?ruining the country? and called for ending the military?s interference in the country?s politics.He said we could not democratise the country unless we end the military rule. He also condemned the military operation in Balochistan.Trade union leader Karamat Butt stressed the need for democratising society by decentralising state institutions and delegating more powers to the provinces and recognising multi-national character of the state of Pakistan.He said the autonomy issue had always been the focal point in Pakistan politics. He criticised the successive rulers of the country for depriving the people of their rights and concentrating more and powers into their own hands.Idrees Rajput stressed the need for the implementation of water accord signed by the Nawaz government.Syed Qurban Ali Shah, Comrade Ram Chand, Ghulam Shah and other speakers also called for solving the issue of provincial autonomy.

صوبن کي 1940ع جي ٺهراءَ تحت رياستون قرار ڏئي مڪمل خودمختياري ڏني وڃي:سياسي ڌريون
ڪراچي (رپورٽ: ارشاد گلاباڻي) ملڪ جي سياسي ڌرين، ڏاهن، ماهرن ۽ قانوندانن يڪراءِ مطالبو ڪيو آهي ته 1940ع جي ٺهراءَ تحت صوبن کي رياستون قرار ڏئي مڪمل صوبائي خودمختياري ڏني وڃي. جنهن موجب صرف 3 کاتا بچاءَ، ناڻو ۽ پرڏيهي مامرا وفاق کي ڏنا وڃن ۽ باقي سڀ کاتا صوبن حوالي ڪيا وڃن. هلندڙ سال 2008ع ۾ ئي نئين آدمشماري کي يقيني بڻايو وڃي ۽ ڪرفيو هڻي شفاف آدمشماري ڪرائي وڃي، جڏهن ته سمورا هٽايل جج بحال ڪيا وڃن، هنن اهڙو مطالبو ڪالهه هتي سنڌ يونائيٽيڊ پارٽي پاران ڪوٺايل سيمينار کي خطاب ڪندي ڪيو، هنن تقريرن ۾ اهو مطالبو به ڪيو ته ڪراچي لڳ بن قاسم ۾ نئون شهر جوڙائي اتي صرف سنڌي آباد ڪيا وڃن ۽ فوج جي اعليٰ عهدن ۽ اعليٰ عدليا ۾ سنڌين ۽ بلوچن کي برابر نمائندگي ڏني وڃي، سنڌ يونائيٽيڊ پارٽي جي سربراهه سيد جلال محمود شاهه صدارتي تقرير ڪندي چيو ته اسان پنهنجي ڌرتي جي وسيلن جي مالڪي ۽ حڪمراني جو حق گهرون ٿا، اسان ته آءِ جي ۽ چيف سيڪريٽري به مقرر نه ٿا ڪري سگهون ۽ اهي اسلام آباد کان آڻي مڙهيا وڃن ٿا، هن چيو ته صوبائي خودمختياري کانسواءِ ملڪ ۽ وفاق نه ٿو هلي سگهي، اسان کي وڏو ڊپ آهي ته ڪٿي وري نئين آئيني غلامي نه مڙهي وڃي، اسان اهڙو وفاق چاهيون ٿا جنهن ۾ دفاع ۾ به صوبن کي برابري ڏني وڃي ۽ سينيٽ جي سڌي چونڊ ڪري وڌيڪ بااختيار بڻايو وڃي، پيپلز پارٽي جي اڳواڻ سيد تاج حيدر چيو ته ان تي حڪومتي اتحادي ڌرين جو مڪمل اتفاق آهي ته ڪنڪرنٽ لسٽ کي ختم ڪيو ويندو. اعليٰ عدليا ۽ فوج جي اعليٰ عهدن تي سنڌين ۽ بلوچن کي برابر جو حصو ڏنو وڃي. ايم ڪيو ايم اڳواڻ محمد حسن چيو ته سنڌ اهو واحد صوبو آهي، جنهن وٽ سمورا وسيلا آهن ۽ سنڌ هڪ مڪمل رياست يا مڪمل صوبو آهي. پاڪستان هن وقت ”مسائلستان“ بڻيل آهي، 1940ع جي ٺهراءَ تحت صوبن کي حق ۽ اختيار ڏنا وڃن. عوامي نيشنل پارٽي جي مرڪزي اڳواڻ امين خٽڪ چيو ته بلوچستان ۾ خطري جي گهنٽي وڄي رهي آهي، جنهن کي حڪمران غور سان ٻڌن. هن چيو ته صوبن کي رڳو انتظامي نه پر مالي خودمختياري ڏني وڃي، 1983ع ۾ ڪنڪرنٽ لسٽ ختم ٿي وڃي ها ته اڄ وڏا مسئلا نه هجن ها، جماعت اسلامي جي اڳواڻ پروفيسر غفور احمد چيو ته چئني صوبن کي برابري وارا حق ڏيڻ سان ئي ملڪ کي هلائي سگهجي ٿو، آئيني پئڪيج ۾ سمورو زور وزيراعظم کي اختيار ڏيڻ تي ڏنو ويو آهي پر ضرورت ان جي آهي ته صوبن کي حق ڏنا وڃن، مسلم ليگ (ن) سنڌ جي قائم مقام صدر سليم ضياءَ چيو ته ضلعي حڪومتن وارو سرشتو صوبائي خودمتياريءَ تي وار آهي، جسقم اڳواڻ عبدالواحد آريسر چيو ته صوبائي خودمختياري انتظامي مسئلو ۽ قومي خوداختياري قومي مسئلو آهي ۽ اسان کي قومي خوداختياري ۽ آجپو وٺڻ گهرجي. سنڌ نيشنل فرنٽ جي مرڪزي جنرل سيڪريٽري ايوب شر چيو ته ملڪ جي سمورن مسئلن جو حل 1940ع واري ٺهراءَ تحت صوبن کي رياستون قرار ڏئي مڪمل اختيار ڏيڻ ۾ آهي، پختونخواهه ملي عوامي پارٽي سنڌ جي صدر حاجي عبدالحڪيم مندوخيل چيو ته ملڪ 1940ع جي ٺهراءَ جي بنياد تي جڙيو پر ان ٺهراءَ تي عمل نه ڪيو ويو، اسان سرحد جي صوبائي سرڪار جو طالبان سان ٺاهه رد ڪريون ٿا جيڪي افغانستان ۾ مداخلت جو سبب بڻجن، برک قانوندان مجيب پيرزادي چيو ته ”صوبو“ نالو ئي غلاميءَ جو آهي تنهنڪري ئي جڏهن ڀارت آزاد ٿيو ته ان پنهنجي پرڳڻن کي ”رياستن“ جو نالو ڏنو. صوبن کي رياستون قرار ڏنو وڃي، اسان قومي اسيمبلي ۾ صوبائي خودمختياري جو بل پيش ڪيو پر بعد ۾ پ پ ان تان هٿ کڻي وئي. نامياري آبپاشي ماهر ادريس راجپوت چيو ته سنڌ سڪي رهي آهي، توهان ڪهڙي حيثيت سان ڊيم ڀري رهيا آهيو، جسٽس (ر) وجيهه الدين احمد چيو ته صوبائي خودمختياري ڪنهن به قوم جي اڳتي وڌڻ لاءِ ضروري آهي، اسان صوبائي خودمختياري جو خيال صرف زباني ڪلامي تائين رکيو. آمريڪا جي مضبوطي جو سبب خودمختياري آهي. 1947ع ۾ سنڌين وڏيون خدمتون ڪيون پر انهن سان ناانصافيون ڪيون ويون، ان ڪري پورٽ قاسم تي نئين ڪراچي جوڙي اتي صرف پراڻن سنڌين کي آباد ڪيو وڃي، سنڌ ڊيموڪريٽڪ فورم جي سربراهه ابرار قاضي چيو ته پاڪستان فلاحي رياست نه پر سيڪيورٽي رياست آهي، ڪامريڊ روچي رام چيو ته صوبائي خودمختياري کانسواءِ ملڪ نه هلي سگهندو، برک صحافي حميد اي هارون صوبائي خودمختياري تي تاريخي حوالا ڏيندي چيو ته محمد علي جناح هر حالت ۾ صوبن کي خودمختياري ڏيڻ جي حق ۾ هو ۽ ان لاءِ هن ڪيترائي دفعا پنهنجي لکڻين ۾ انٽرويوز ۾ پنهنجي موقف کي بيان ڪيو. جناح يو پي هجي يا پنجاب هر صوبي کي صوبائي خودمختياري ڏيڻ لاءِ هر موقعي تي ڳالهائيندي هو. سيمينار کي سيد غلام شاهه، ڪرامت علي، صبيح الدين غوثي ۽ ٻين به خطاب ڪيو.

World Sindhi Congress, a world wide organisation fighting for the rights of Sindhi people, has welcomed the announcement of the present government of Pakistan to withdraw the plan for building Kalabagh dam for good.
World Sindhi Congress Chairman, Dr Haleem Bhatti, General Secretary Dr Lakhu Lohana, Senior Vice Chair Suraiya Makhdoom, UK/Europe Organizer Dr Hidayat Bhutto, Finance Secretary Dr Rubina Shaikh and Sindh Organiser Sattar Zangejo believe that it is a good move to fulfil a long overdue demand of people of Sindh, Balouchistan and NWPF.
WSC would also like to pay tribute to the continuous struggle of all the political parties, focus groups, human rights and other organisations, activists, writers, poets, journalists and above all, that ofall the people of Sindh, Balouchistan and NWFP, indeed all the justice loving people of Pakistan, which made the above announcement possible. Many political leaders, activists and others lost their liberty in the course of the said struggle. Some even lost their lives.

Sindhi Association of North America, SANA , has called for abandonment of all mega dam projects in Pakistan including Akhori, Diamir-Bhasha and Skardu-Katzra dams besides the Kalabagh Dam and stressed the need for the exploration of alternate water and power projects.

In a statement issued in Houston , Texas today, SANA president Aziz Narejo welcomed the Water and Power minister’s statement to permanently shelve the most controversial Kalabagh Dam in accordance with the multiple resolutions passed by the three out of the four provincial assemblies in Pakistan . He said it shows the clear difference between the working of a dictatorial regime and a democratically elected government as the latter was responsive to the aspirations of the people.

Mr. Narejo however expressed concern over the federal government’s continued emphasis on projects like Diamir-Bhasha and other large dams. He said no mega dam project should be undertaken without the consent of the lower riparian, proper certification of the availability of water for the project and extensive ecological and environmental studies. He said that the most respected irrigation experts including the former chief of the Technical Water Committee, Engineer A.N.G. Abbasi had cast doubts on the availability of water for any single mega water project while the present government is talking of several such projects.

SANA president said that the views of the World Commission on Dams on the subject and world-wide movements against large dams should be taken into account in this context. He said the vulnerability of large dams as a consequence of the the recent earthquake in China should be given a serious thought.

He said that the government should look for alternate ways of power generation like the run of the river power projects, coal fired plants, wind power, solar energy and others. Similarly ways should be explored to increase the availability of water through curtailing system wide water losses that amount to around 55%, lining of canals and water courses that may substantially increase the water availability, adoption of modern irrigation methods replacing the age old flooding method, precision leveling of the agriculture lands wherever applicable and such other measures.
SANA president also called upon the government to immediately stop work on the Greater Thal Canal as it was started illegally without any required sanctions in contravention of the 1991 water accord and is strongly opposed by the lower riparian province.

Aziz Narejo
President, SANA
(Sindhi Association of North America)

Sindhi Association of North America, SANA , has been in solidarity with the lawyers’ movement in Pakistan from the day one. We had strongly condemned military dictator Musharraf’s illegal orders of 9th March 2007 deposing the Chief Justice of Pakistan. We had also vehemently opposed his unconstitutional actions of 3rd November, 2007. We have been highly appreciative of the heroic stand of superior courts' judges who declined to take oath under an illegal PCO and the lawyers who have launched a valiant struggle for the restoration of judiciary to pre-emergency position.

Keeping in view the unmatched courage and the pivotal role played by Justice Rana Bhagwandas in the aftermath of the illegal removal of the Chief Justice, we had invited him to be the keynote speaker at 24th annual convention of our organization to be held at Westin City Center Hotel & Resort in Dallas , TX July 3-6.

It gives me immense pleasure to inform you that the honorable Justice Rana Bhagwandas has graciously accepted our invitation and he would be delivering keynote speech at our convention on matters related to independence of judiciary, supremacy of Constitution and rule of law in Pakistan .
This is to inform you that we have also invited PTI chief Imran Khan and representatives from PPP and PML-N to speak on the current situation in Pakistan and answer questions from our members. I’ll let you know as soon as I receive any more confirmations.

Besides the main speakers’ session, we have planned various other sessions/programs at our convention for the interest of our participants. Please visit our web site http://www.sanalist.org/ check out the schedule of events, registration procedure and get information on the hotel room reservation. Please make early plans to attend the convention

LondonSunday 13 Jan 2007Dr Haleem Bhatti Chairman World Sindhi CongressLadies and GentlemenToday we gathered here to pay tribute to great Sindhi leader Muhtarma Benazir Bhutto, who was martyred by Pakistan’s military, Musharaf and his allies on 27th December. May God rest her soul in peace and give courage to her family, friends, supporters and colleagues to bear this irreparable loss. We strongly condemn the barbaric crime of Pakistani military who time and again have unequivocally reiterated their intention to eliminate genuine Sindhi and Baloch leadership.The assassination of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto has caused a great political and emotional loss for the people of Pakistan in general and the people of Sindh in particular. It is indeed a great tragedy and irreversible loss that will affect our political life not for years but for decades. Like her father, late Z.A. Bhutto, Benazir Bhutto was a very popular Sindhi leader. She upheld the values of modernity and democracy. Again like her father, Benazir Bhutto has suffered the inevitable due to her Sindhi roots. Benazir’s murder also proves once again that there is no future of Sindhis in Pakistan.Benazir Bhutto is no more with us but her legacy, like that of her father's legacy, will stay with us for many years to come and will dictate politics and future of Pakistan. The assassination of Benazir Bhutto has created conditions which contribute to the ongoing destabilization and fragmentation of Pakistan as a country. Her murder does not end her vision. Benazir Bhutto had been targeted not because of her politics, but simply because she was a Sindhi. Those responsible for her assassination, within and outside of government, must be held accountableThe fact that her assassination has deeply hurt Sindhi people. Many of them are confused, dejected and feel that they are constantly being attacked by Pakistan's establishment, particularly its military. After all, she was the only hope that Sindhis had for getting their rights and due share in the resources that come out of their homeland. With Benazir gone, they are not sure if they will ever get a fair stake in Pakistan.Benazir Bhutto offered Sindhis the only hope for getting fairness and justice peacefully. Now that she has been taken away from us by those who want to enslave Sindhis, we must not only fight for justice for us but also for her.After the assassination of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto thousands of political workers have been arrested and a large number of bogus cases have been registered against political workers especially in Sindh to curb and depress the people’s voice against the Musharaf regime. According to local and international media including BBC,police have registered thousands of cases against at least 250,000 people, including PPP leaders and workers, throughout the Sindh province, after the murder of Benazir Bhutto.Thousands of political leaders and workers from, Balochistan, Sindh, Punjab and NWFP are already detained illegally by the Pakistan forces. We demand Government of Pakistan that all the lawyers, political workers and civil society leaders including Sardar Akhtar Mengal, Dr Safdar Sarki and others should immediately be released. We hereby request International community to condemn Pakistani Govt policies based on discrimination against people of Sindh & Balochistan and demand cases registered against innocent people of Sindh and Balochistan on large-scale must be withdrawn forthwith.Sindh played significant role in creating Pakistan and committed great sacrifices but after six decades and many generations, people of Sindh are compelled to rethink about their past decision because Pakistan has emerged like a national security risk for the motherland and for them. People of Sindh contributed every thing to save, develop and create a democratic, secular, and moderate and peace loving Pakistan where every constituent nation could feel freedom, prosperity, equality and justice but it is still a dream and unfolding reality.After Assassination of Benazir Bhutto when President Musharaf was asked question by a western journalist that all people believe that you are responsible for death of Benazir Bhutto, he replied that I am educated person from a civilised family. I remember, when a British Scientist John Kelly was found dead, same type of question was asked from British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his reply was that If any one suspect, I am responsible for death of John Kelly, I don’t mind to appear before any court or commission. My question is, “Why President Musharaf does not want to appear before Independent UN Commission as most of Pakistani people believe Musharaf responsible for assassination of Benazir Bhutto”. Every one knows that not only Benazir Bhutto but Musharaf is also responsible for assassination of Nawab Akbar Bugti and Mir Balaach Marri. During his regimen thousands of Sindhi and Baloch political prisoners has been disappeared and they are still languishing in Pakistan Military’s secret prisons. If Musharaf was educated and civilised than why he has been protecting rapists of Sindhi and Baloch women who belong to army.The military establishment has virtually conquered the state of Pakistan in interest of their masters. It leaves no space for people and political forces. They do politics, run industries and business enterprises; create fake political parties, pseudo politicians, control parliament, judiciary and media. They have taken over every business of state and economy except doing their own professional work for which they are being heavily paid since decades at the cost of extreme poverty and under development. The military establishment has thus turned Pakistan into a militarized state and society. There must be a credible and independent UN investigation of the Bhutto case. We call on the United Nations to commence a thorough investigation of the circumstances, facts and cover-up of Benazir Bhutto’s murder, modelled on the investigation into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq al-Hariri. The Special Rapporteur should be allowed to freely monitor the overall investigation into Bhutto's death by the Pakistani Government and he should make his findings public. The Special Rapporteur should also determine whether health professionals were intimidated, medical records were changed or destroyed, and whether any other evidence or witnesses have been tampered with. The UN Security Council must ensure that the overall investigation into Bhutto's assassination is independently monitored and that all evidence is reviewed and made public by outside investigators. An investigation conducted by the Government of Pakistan will have no credibility in Pakistan or anywhere else.The leaders of PPP must recognize that after the elections, Sindhis masses would insist PPP to openly talk about Sindhi plight and forcefully fight for their rights. We sincerely hope that PPP's leadership will never forget the sacrifices, devotion, and trust that Sindhi people have placed in them. They must realize that sooner or later they will have to deliver on the restoration of due rights of Sindhi people.

Sindhi United Party Arrange Seminar on"Provinicial Autonomy " on Saterday 7th June 2008 Hotel Beach Luxury Karachi. three Sessions in this Programe.