HYDERABAD: Qaumi Awami Tehreek president Ayaz Latif Palijo has announced that a month-long campaign will be launched on Wednesday (Sept 1) against moves to settle Afghan refugees in Sindh, forcible occupation of people’s lands, retrenchment and water shortage.

He was speaking at his party’s central committee meeting here on Saturday. He along with his party workers observed a token hunger strike.

Mr Palijo said that during the campaign, protests would be held and hunger strikes observed.

The struggle would focus on four points — settlement of Afghan refugees, occupation of lands by ‘builder mafia’ and other institutions, robbery on water share of Sindh and retrenchment of around 16,000 employees from Sui Southern Gas Company and other organisations.

The QAT chief pointed out that US had helped Afghans in the war against Soviet forces and now [ousted Afghan president] Ashraf Ghani’s government was toppled to bring in the Taliban. He claimed that the provincial government had agreed to settle Afghan refugees in Sindh in lieu of concessions in the cases being faced by PPP leaders and activists.

He noted that the ruling party was working to convert Sindhis into a minority within their province and make Sindh “an international orphanage”.

Mr Palijo also noted that Afghan refugees were not allowed to stay in Islamabad and Lahore. “Settling them in Sindh is not acceptable,” he said, and asked why they were not being settled along the borders with China, Iran, Russia and other countries.

“Why Bengalis, Biharis [stranded Pakistanis] and Burmese are not settled in Saudi Arabia?”

He wondered that Sindh government had baton-charged flood-affected people in Karachi but appeared ready to provide flats to Afghans.

Mr Palijo criticised the Indus River System Authority for not ensuring provision of Sindh’s due share in water. He said whatever flows were made available, the same were “stolen” by ministers and other elements sitting in the ruling party. He said that the Muttahida Qaumi Movement had always targeted Sindhis and the party was now silent over the Afghanistan issue. “It’s question of Pakistan’s integrity,” he added.

He cautioned that if influx of millions of refugees [allegedly being settled in Sindh] was not stopped, then the entire demography of Sindh would change. He said that all political parties, including PML-F, MQM, JUI-F, Sindh United Party, Sindh Taraqqi-pasand Party and progressive forces should launch [their own] campaigns against it.

Published in Dawn, August 30th, 2021