HYDERABAD: The Sindh Action Committee (SAC) has announced holding of a public meeting in Nawabshah on Sept 5 against Sindh government’s policies, handling of affairs and “hidden agenda”.

“We are ready to face hooliganism of Pakistan Peoples Party’s hoodlums. Our struggle against projects like Bahria Town Karachi had unnerved PPP leaders, who are direct beneficiaries of the project,” SAC leader Dr Qadir Magsi, who heads the Sindh Taraqqi-pasand Party (STP), told a press conference at the local press club on Thursday.

“The SAC had taken cognizance of the fact that Sindh is being colonised in an unassuming manner by various quarters and this will eventually convert indigenous population into minority,” he said.

He claimed that the people of Sindh had been opposing outsiders’ settlement in the province since 1970s. These “outsiders” included illegal immigrants from India, Burma [now Myanmar], Afghanistan and Bangladesh.

Continued struggle against PPP’s policies, outsiders’ settlement and private housing projects pledged

Other leaders of SAC component parties including Roshan Buriro, Riaz Ali Chandio and Noor Ahmed Katiar were also present at the press conference.

Dr Magsi claimed that Census 2017 results had been engineered to convert Sindhis into a minority within their province.

Dr Magsi explained SAC’s view by saying that Urdu- and Punjabi-speaking people and other old residents of Sindh had the right to become lawmakers but after the changed demography, they would not be able to contest elections.

The STP chief claimed that Karachi’s Urdu-speaking people had also participated in SAC’s June 6 protest outside BTK. He repeated the allegation that “under a planned manner, properties were torched by PPP’s hoodlums and MQM’s activists also played a role”. He deplored that 30 FIRs pertaining to the single incident were registered against SAC leaders. He said he and [SAC convener] Syed Jalal Shah faced 22 FIRs.

“The top PPP leaders, Asif Ali Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari are direct beneficiaries of BTK

and they have taken SAC’s struggle as personal because they think the agitation will undermine their business interests. Therefore, SAC is facing PPP government’s wrath,” claimed Dr Magsi.

He said SAC was running a public mobilisation campaign in Sindh. Its rally was attacked in Tando Adam on Aug 28 and in Nawabshah the next day. He alleged that PPP activists attacked participants in the Aug 29 rally at Zero Point in Nawabshah.

He deplored that “PPP activists resorted to firing but cases under Anti-Terrorism Act were registered against SAC activists”.

He said six SAC activists obtained bail from the high court but while they were returning home, they were whisked away by police and since then their whereabouts remained unknown. He demanded their immediate release.

Published in Dawn, September 3rd, 2021