KHAIRPUR, Aug 7: Sindh no more remains a province and it has become a colony of the establishment.

This was stated by the MQM chief, Altaf Hussain, in a telephonic address from London to members of the Khaipur District Bar Association on Wednesday.

He said that demanding the rights of Sindhis and irrigation water had become an offence, and whoever demanded these was described as a traitor.

Altaf Hussain expressed his surprise over the role of the electronic media on which Shahbaz Sharif was shown as a hero on Wednesday, but some days earlier he was regarded as zero as he had been accused of much corruption.

President Gen Pervez Musharraf, he said, during his recent visit of Bangladesh had officially apologized for the events of 1971. Nawaz Sharif had done the same, but action was not taken against those who had been held responsible in the Hamood-ur-Rehman Commission Report; none of them had been punished, even the report was not published, he added.

He said that when Benazir Bhutto, who was now talking a lot against constitutional amendments, had come into power twice, she had done nothing to repeal the amendment made by Gen Zia.

He claimed that Shahbaz Sharif was returning home after a deal with the agencies, while negotiations with Nawaz Sharif were going on.

He said that G. M. Syed had worked to merge Sindh into Pakistan only for the betterment and rehabilitation of Sindhis, not for crushing them.

He lamented that some nationalists, who used to make sentimental speeches on Sindh issues, later had taken big contracts from the government.

He told the audience that the MQM had highlighted the Sindh case internationally as it was sincere to the issue.

He further said that those who were working on the pay roll of the agencies were bent on creating differences between the Mohajirs and Sindhis so that a clash started between them. But now we will not allow them to do so, he warned.

Our Hyderabad Bureau reports:

MQM chief Altaf Hussain has said that a redundant and outdated feudal system was responsible for the destruction of Pakistan and warned that if this system was not abolished then Pakistan could be wiped out from the map of the world.

He was addressing a general workers’ meeting of the Hyderabad zone from London on the telephone on Tuesday.

He said whatever the future of Pakistan, the system was destined to change as a result of the “MQM’s philosophy”.

He claimed that the MQM philosophy had created an awakening in the poor and oppressed people of Pakistan and “they had started uniting under the flag of the MQM”.

He congratulated the workers including the elders and women’s wing on the successful completion of party elections, and added that “the people of Hyderabad had once again proved that they were with Altaf Hussain”.

He observed that it took years, rather centuries, to change the oppressive system through a revolution.

Mr Altaf said that against heavy odds, the MQM had emerged as the third biggest party of the country.

He said notwithstanding the army operation against the party on June 19, 1992, “the movement was kept alive from different parts of the world”.

He claimed that this was the reason why the MQM message had reached every village of Sindh.

He said Sindhis were an oppressed nation, and the Waderas and the Jagirdars had deprived the people of their fundamental rights including education and incited them against the Mohajirs.

The MQM chief said that the people knew as to who was working as an agent of the establishment to protect his own vested interests.

He paid compliments to the party workers of interior Sindh for taking full part in the party elections.

He declared that when he pleaded the case of Sindh, it did not mean that he was against Punjabis or Pakhtoons.

He claimed that since he was a Sindhi, he owed it to Sindh to raise his voice for the rights of Sindh province.

Mr Altaf said that he was the advocate of the rights of all oppressed people of the country.

He urged his old companions to embrace the Sindhi-speaking people who had joined the party.