HYDERABAD, July 16: The Sindh Democratic Forum has expressed concern over converting the Hyderabad district into a city government after its division into four districts.

The forum said that a summary in this connection had been moved to the Sindh chief minister for approval.

In a statement faxed to Dawn on Sunday, forum convenor Abrar Qazi and secretary Zulfiqar Halepoto said that the government’s decision to merge five districts of Karachi with a population of 15 million into a one single city government and at the same time breaking the Sindhi-majority district of 2.7 million people into four districts were the most unjust measures.

They said that the division of Hyderabad would have far-reaching and harmful affects on unity and integration of the people of Sindh. The SDF leaders said that under the new scheme of things all lands, resources, government properties and employments of city governments of Karachi and Hyderabad, which rightfully belonged to Sindhis, would handed over to an ethnic party as a political bribe.

They said that the conversion of the Hyderabad district government into a city government was a part of the conspiracy.

They said that the move would greatly advance the agenda pursued by Gen Musharraf and ethnic allies of the chief minister but it would very greatly damage the Sindh polity and the society.

The SDF leaders warned the Sindh government not to fall into the trap of ethnic politics which the Sindhi people would always consider an offence and a treachery against them.

They said that the Sindhi people would vehemently resist the move. They appealed to all the people of Sindh, political parties and concerned citizens to raise their voice in protest against this blatant injustice and extremely harmful step.

NAZIM: District Nazim Kanwar Naveed Jamil has directed to speed up anti-polio campaign and achieve at least a target of 98 per cent coverage during a campaign to be launched from July 18. He said while presiding over a meeting at the district nazim secretariat on Friday.