LARKANA: Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) chairman Syed Mustafa Kamal has strongly opposed a division of Sindh and pledged that his party will always resist every such move tooth and nail.

He was addressing his party’s maiden public meeting at Jinnahbagh gate here on Friday.

Expressing his happiness over the good strength of participants in the PSP show, he remarked: “my dream has come true [to see such a large number of people attending it]”.

Clearly referring to the demand and moves by Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) for creating more administrative units within Sindh, Mr Kamal said those talking about Sindh’s division were actually hushing up their corruption, crime and failures.

Without naming any person or entity, he said that time and again ‘Sindh card’ and ‘Mohajir card’ had been used by those who wanted and tried to hide their failures. “All those were telling lies only to exploit emotions of innocent Sindhis,” he said. He called Sindhis Ansar for they had welcomed Mohajirs with open arms in the days of Partition. He said Mohajirs did not want Sindh to be divided.

PSP holds its maiden power show in PPP stronghold

He repeated his earlier statement that “no one can dare to detach even a single street of Karachi from Sindh”, and recalled that he had uttered this at a public meeting in Latifabad (Hyderabad).

Mr Kamal criticised Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI)-led federal government saying that it very frequently talked about Riasat-i-Madina but in its rule people were dying in Thar due to water scarcity and media reports suggested over 3,000 children having been bitten by stray dogs amidst unavailability of the anti-rabies vaccine at government health facilities.

Poor children were dying of extensive cold and poverty-hit people were committing suicide, he added. He said the rulers should stop hoodwinking people in the name of Riasat-i-Madina.

Turing to the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) government in Sindh, he alleged that it was also deceiving and cheating the masses with unfounded and false promises.

He noted that people had been running from pillar to post for their daily bread while rulers had been looting the country for many years in the name of democracy.

Addressing the people of Larkana, the PSP chief said “you extend your support to me, and I will bring government to your doorsteps”.

He told them not to support him in the name of ‘Roti, Kapra aur Makan’ or ‘Vote ko izzat dau’ or ‘change’, but for his commitment that he would make them master of their own state.

He pledged that the PSP would amend Article 148 of the Constitution, and criticised the Sindh chief minister for making his own interpretation of this article.

He said rulers had always been tight-lipped about electoral reforms. “We have to strive for an improvement in the election commission,” he added.

He also spoke in Sindhi and gave word to improve his performance in delivering his speech in Sindhi next time.

Anis Qaimkhani, Shabbir Qaimkhani, Ashfaque Mangi and others also addressed the gathering, which was attended by Arshad Vohra, Syed Hafeezuddin and other PSP leaders.

Published in Dawn, January 25th, 2020