KARACHI - The issue of carving out a Mohajir province echoed in the Sindh Assembly again on Monday, when PML-F legislator Nusrat Sehar Abbasi drew the attention of the House to the threatening sms received by signatories of the anti-graffiti Mohajir province resolution.
Speaking on a point of order, Nusrat Abbasi demanded the government to take notice of these threatening messages, in which the recipients were warned of dire consequences. She said, “We are not among those who could be intimidated with such tactics. We are ready to lay down our lives for the unity, solidarity and cause of Sindh.” She said the eyes of those hatching conspiracies against the province would be gouged out.
Sindh Home Minister Manzoor Wassan said the PPP and its allies had, a number of time, unequivocally declared that they would not tolerate any propaganda against the province’s unity. “One should not give importance to such kind of text messages. Sindh is there for the last 5,000 years. No conspiracy could hurt it,” he said while adding that those circulating these sms would be exposed soon.
When Sindh Food Minister Mir Nadir Magsi called for a probe into the matter, Wassan claimed he knew those who were behind these sms.
Deputy Speaker Shehla Raza, who was chairing the session, asked Nusrat Abbasi not to be sacred of such messages and say these words “Marsun Marsun, Sindh Na Deysun” (We will rather die but never give the province of Sindh).
Taking the floor of the House, Senior MQM leader Syed Sardar Ahmed said whatever appeared in a section of press was not correct either. He said although coalition partners were consulted on all issues before their presentation in the House, the MQM was not consulted on the resolution tabled Friday. “Still MQM legislator Aamir Moin spoke at length on the issue and supported the resolution. He also declared MQM’s stance on the issue that the province would not allowed to be bifurcated. After my party gave its stance, there was no need to twist the event,” a livid Ahmed added.
Senior Minister for Education Pir Mazharul Haq said that certain elements wanted to sabotage the reconciliatory process and create a gulf between the coalition partners which, according to him, made Sindh a model province. “Although opposition is a part of the democratic process, there is no opposition in the Sindh Assembly. Every legislation is carried out with a consensus and majority.”
Mazharul Haq, who is also the parliamentary party leader of the PPP Sindh, said the reports that the MQM was silent on the issue of graffiti of Mohajir province, were tantamount to harm the coalition in Sindh.
He said due to the political sagacity of President Asif Ali Zardari, Pir Sahib Pagara, Altaf Hussain, Asfandyar Wali and late Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi, the democratic process was running smoothly, but certain elements wanted to derail it.
He recalled that Sardar Ahmed and a number of other friends had, time and again, declared that a third force was working against the government’s reconciliatory process and province.
Sindh Law Minister Ayaz Soomro said that statement of Syed Sardar Ahmed was on record and MQM Aamir Mion had declared that they were sons of this soil.
He also criticised the nationalists, saying they could not win a seat in local bodies elections but were claiming to be “champions of the cause of Sindh”. The PPP had, added Soomro, full confidence in its leadership.
MQM member Saifuddin Khalid drew the attention of the law minister to the growing incidents of extortion, kidnapping for ransom and street crime in his constituency, PS-94 Orangi Town, saying conspirators were looking to destroy peace of the metropolis. He demanded that those behind lawlessness in his constituency be penalised.
PPP lawmaker Haji Munawwar Ali Abbasi, on a point of order, called for regularisation of services of law officers recruited on contract.
He was assured by the law minister that a bill would soon be tabled in the assembly for regularisation of all law officers working in different courts across Sindh. Later, the House was adjourned till Tuesday morning.