THATTA, Sept 17: Local opinion leaders have given a mixed response to the Sindh government’s decision to declare Sujawal a new district after carving it out of Thatta district.

Dr Altaf Khwaja, a member of the Pakistan Peoples Party’s Sindh council who had campaigned for years for Sujawal being made a district, said that it would have little impact on Thatta’s culture, customs, language, heritage etc if it was divided administratively into two parts.

Rather, it would strengthen the backward areas economically after creation of more job opportunities and development schemes and it would help resolve people’s day-to-day issues at their doorsteps, he said.

Former MPAs Syed Shafique Shah Bukhari, Chetan Mal Arwani, writer Ghulam Hussain Rangrez, member of the PPP’s Sindh council Aijaz Ali Khwaja and former MPA Humaira Alwani were of the opinion the new Sujawal district would greatly benefit local population.

The two towns were already segregated by the Indus which ran through them and placed them apart from each other on its opposite banks, they said.

Local chapters of the PPP-Shaheed Bhutto, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazal, Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz and Shehri Ittehad made no bones about their pleasure at the decision. On Tuesday, a jubilant crowd of activists of the PPP-SB, JUI-F, JSQM and Shehri Ittehad took out a procession to commend the Sindh government decision.

The leaders claimed that it would create more job opportunities for local youth and usher in a new era of progress and development.

But new Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leaders in the Shirazi group —MNA Syed Ayaz Ali Shah Shirazi, MPAs Aijaz Ali Shah Shirazi, Shah Hussain Shah, Amir Haider Shah Shirazi — and president of the Sindh Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid Haleem Adil Shaikh looked askance at the decision and said the new district was aimed at containing popularity of the Shirazi group and grabbing more seats in a future election.

They said that a similar attempt had been made by then chief minister of Sindh Jam Sadiq Ali in 1991 but he had to abandon the idea over public criticism.

MNA Ayaz Ali Shah Shirazi said that Shirazi legislators would take the issue to court and agitate on streets to force the government to reverse the decision.

Former PPP minister Sassui Palijo, president of Thatta PPP Arbab Wazir Memon and other leaders voiced reservations over the decision and said the government had not taken them into confidence over it. They advised the government to make consultations with all sections of society before taking a final decision.

Members of civil society who wished not to be named said the previous government had also planned to carve out a new district Bhambhore from Thatta district but later it had to drop the idea over public pressure.

Academician Dr Mohammad Ali Manjhi and poetess Apa Mariam Majeedi shed light on the rich history of Thatta and said the city had remained capital of three successive dynasties and was later ruled by the Moghul emperors of Dehli. Thatta had been a sovereign state and remained intact till the rule of Samma dynasty from 1350 to 1718. Four Muslim dynasties made Thatta their capital and it was the place where Alexander the Great rested his legions after their long march. Any geographical changes in the historical district would not be accepted by people who were heirs to the rich heritage, they said.

According to the 1998 census Thatta has a population of 1,113,194. The government plans to bifurcate the district having nine talukas and 55 union councils with the truncated Thatta district keeping Thatta taluka, Mirpur Sakro, Ghorabari, Keti Bunder and Kharochaan and the new Sujawal district having 25 UCs and four talukas of Sujawal, Jati, Mirpur Bathoro and Shah Bunder.