KARACHI: Demanding a fresh census in the country, the Sindh United Party on Tuesday announced that the National Finance Commis­sion Award would not be acceptable to Sindh under any formula without census.

Sindh would be at a loss if the NFC Award was given before the fresh census, as it would reveal Sindh’s population that was estimated to be over 60 million and change Punjab’s claim of having 56 per cent of country’s population, said SUP President Syed Jalal Mehmood Shah while addressing a press conference at Haider Manzil.

The press conference was held after a meeting of the newly formed central executive committee of the SUP.

Accompanied by party office-bearers Syed Zain Shah, Roshan Ali, Amir Ali Thebo and central executive committee members, Mr Shah said census should be conducted at the earliest in the light of the Supreme Court verdict to have correct population figures.

The SUP chief was optimistic that change in balance of power was inevitable after the fresh census, as it would reveal the exact population of each province.

About the central executive committee meeting, Mr Shah said the party reviewed political situation in the country.

There was controlled democracy in Pakistan that was being ruled not as a federation of historical nations but by the ideology of strong centre, as the powers that be were not prepared to concede nationalities ownership on their resources, he said.

The SUP chief said the NFC meeting on the other day indicated that both the Punjab and federal governments had thrown their weight behind the ninth NFC Award without fresh census, while the PPP government allegedly trying to protect financial corruption and poor governance failed to take a strong stand for holding census before the NFC Award.

He called upon the Sindh government to take up the NFC issue at the CCI meeting to link it with census and if the government failed to make its strong case, the SUP would be left with no choice but to resist the move.

“The SUP meeting also noted that the federal government was providing protection to the corrupt PPP rulers, because so far neither any corrupt minister nor any bureaucrat was taken to task by the National Accountabi­lity Bureau.

Instead of introducing good governance, NAB officials were being transferred providing opportunity to corrupt elements escape from the country.

This amounts to some sort of NRO [National Reconciliation Ordinance] between the federal institutions and the Sindh government. He demanded that the government adopt some effective method to eliminate corruption.

Mr Shah said his party considered the present PPP government incapable to put Sindh on road to progress and prosperity.

He announced that the SUP would launch a struggle against corruption, religious extremism and terrorism on Dec 17 from Larkana and after mobilization of people across the province the SUP would stage a big rally in Karachi on Feb 26, 2017.

Published in Dawn, November 30th, 2016