Increasing Trend of

Nationalism in Sindhi Youth

This refers to the rally of Jeay Sindh Movement held at Karachi on November 7, 2009.

PPP, being a federalist party, does not advocate and struggle for the real and fundamental
issues of Sindh. PPP only uses Sindh card to get power, but whenever they come in power they
forget people of Sindh. Present PPP government’s performance is worst of all the four
governments as for the addressing of fundamental issues of Sindh is concerned. In my opinion,
they are not serious in taking genuine problems of Sindhi people. When they are in power they
indulge in masti and mazey of power. They betray the confidence of Sindhi people put into
them. When they are thrown out (or even in power they fail to resolve genuine issues of Sindhi
people) they give excuse that they were/are not allowed by establishment (meaning Punjab) to
resolve such issues of Sindhi people. Forty years out of sixty three years of Pakistan’s history
(and through out the complete history of new Pakistan formed in 1971) PPP has lead Sindhi
people and failed to resolve their real issues. As the only parliamentary party of Sindhi people,
they have never engaged them in dialogue with the leadership of Punjab and other provinces
and the forces who matter in the Pakistan’s establishment. PPP has always struggled and had
dialogue with others for power only. This way, I would say, they are harming the country.

The same is true for alternate parliamentary leadership. Who are not genuine mass leaders but
installed and imposed by the center. Since they come through the back door, they work for
their masters and for themselves and ignore real issues. They have also failed to resolve the
fundamental questions of common Sindhi people.

The establishment, on the other hand, has suppressed genuine cadre and leadership (from
middle and lower class) through out the history of Pakistan. Saeen G M syed (most respected
Sindhi nationalist leader) was not allowed to work, even though he had never talked about
breaking of Pakistan. Finally, he was completely disappointed by the system and gave up
parliamentary politics after 1970 elections. This was a big blow to a genuine and serious
parliamentary politics of Sindh. The establishment, instead of persuading Sindhi nationalists to
come back to the parliamentary politics, either supported PPP or alternatively ruled Sindh
through wadera, pirs and mirs.
Moreover no serious efforts were made by the leadership or intellectuals and civil society of
Punjab to engage the nationalist forces of Sindh in dialogue.

General impression among Sindhi people has therefore been established that Punjab and
establishment do not allow resolution of their basic issues.

Sindhi youth seeing that:

 Their natural resources (Oil, Gas, Coal etc) benefit all (from Punjab to foreign
companies) but them.
 Their financial resources are diverted to center and other provinces. The Sindh
contributes 70% in the national revenue, but Sindhi people are suffering from hunger
and extreme poverty (and are committing suicides due to hunger and poverty).
 Hundreds of thousands of people of other provinces (particularly from Punjab) are
occupying government jobs in Sindh, but Sindhi youth are jobless. (Can anyone tell how
many Sindhi people are in the government jobs in Punjab)
 They are being converted into an ethnic minority on their ancestral land.
 The status of their land (which used to be State of Sindh even in the ghulami period) has
been reduced and powers (of provincial government) has been snatched by center.
After independence, the Sindh was not granted even the powers and status that of
Government of India Act 1935.
 Their river (the source of life for them) has been captured by upper riparian. The Indus
through out history used to be their river, but now every year they have to beg (raise
indents) for water from the center and upper riparian province. This is a permanent and
constant issue of Sindhi people. They are suffering from draught but the water of Indus
is being diverted to (once) the land of five rivers.
 Every one (from other provinces or even from India, Bangladesh, Afghanistan) comes
and settle in Karachi, but Sindhi villages and settlements are demolished time and again.
 Their ports are not their own.
 Their roads have been taken by center, from where billions of rupees are collected
annually but earning is invested in other provinces.
 Status of their own ancestral language has been reduced.
 etc

And that their leadership (PPP) has always betray them and does not take their issues seriously
(look up to the role of PPP leadership on NFC, whole sindh is on one side but the point of view
provincial government of PPP presents in NFC is contrary to popular thinking of Sindhi people).
Establishment, on other hand, blocks the way of alternate middle/lower class leadership.

They (Sindhi youth) are left with no choice but to resort to nationalists movements like Jeay
Sindh.

As the sense of deprivation increases so the number of such youth.

November 7 rally of JSM is a proof in itself.

PPP has resources and capability to organize much bigger rallies than this, but the youth who
have participated in the JSM rally did not come there in greed of jobs or to get benefits from
Ministers and MNAs/MPAs. They have gathered to convey a message of disappointment from
the system. These are the youth who were allowed and could manage to attend the rally, still
many with the same feelings could not manage to attend.

Their message should be taken seriously; and genuine grievances of Sindh should be
addressed. The old and outdated formula of granting power (or 2-3 years government) to PPP
(and waderas, pirs and mirs) on the basis of using Sindh card will not work anymore. Genuine
middle/lower class cadre must be allowed to lead the Sindhi people.

Zulfiqar Mirani
November 9, 2009.