DIVIDING THE PERMANENT SETTLERS OF SINDH ON THE BASIS OF “IDENTITIES” IS ANTI-SINDH – ALTAF HUSSAIN

London – 13 December 2003
MQM Founder & Leader Mr Altaf Hussain has stated that when permanent settlers belonging to an area, geography, state, province or a country, unite to struggle for their rights then the Establishment conspires to divide/split them on the basis of “identity”.  When the permanent settlers made an effort to get united to struggle for the rights of Sindh province, the Establishment orchestrated linguistic riots based on “identities” to create rifts and misunderstandings.   He was addressing the general workers meeting at Rehmat Chowk in Sanghar, Sindh; organised to welcome the newly elected office bearers of MQM Sanghar Zone.

Mr Hussain said that the permanent settlers of Sindh province are born, educated, brought up, employed on this land; also spend their earnings in this province and even are buried here, therefore, the act of dividing them on the basis of “identities” is anti-Sindh.  The Establishment has always plotted to prevent unity amongst the Sindhi-speaking and Urdu-speaking Sindhis.  These elements are today once again propagating that Altaf Hussain is not sincere to Sindh because he is not a Sindhi-speaking but Urdu-speaking.  The Establishment and their agents are propagating that Altaf Hussain is conning the people of Sindh.  Mr Hussain said that his late father Nazeer Hussain, his late mother Khursheed Begum, his elder brother Shaheed Nasir Hussain and his nephew Shaheed Arif Hussain are buried in Sindh and same is the situation of Urdu-speaking permanent settlers.  Whatever we earn, we spend here – our life and death is related to Sindh.  Those who do not consider us true well-wisher of Sindh must first look upon themselves and then tell the nation how sincere they are with Sindh?  He asked from the audience that who the native Sindhis are?  A Sindhi-speaking participant replied that he belongs to Chandio tribe but the true and native Sindhis are Darawar and all the rest have migrated to Sindh.  Mr. Hussain said that migration is a process in continuation – when those who migrate to settle elsewhere, they then become true sons of that piece of land.  The feudal lords of Sindh even today use Baloch as part of their name despite claiming to be Sindhis. If the Syed, Baloch, Pakhtoons, Punjabis and others, who migrated to Sindh can claim to be sons of Sindh then why the Urdu-speaking who sacrificed all their possessions and adopted Sindh as their permanent settlement cannot be the sons of Sindh Dharti?  And why Altaf Hussain cannot be sincere to Sindh?

Mr Hussain said that similarly religion cannot be confined within geographical boundaries.  Religions too migrate from one place to other. Once there was not a single Muslim in Sindh.  However, with the passage of time, the people of Sindh either embraced Islam or continued to practice their old religion.  Such dissemination of religion can be witnessed throughout the world.  Similarly, there was a time that in entire India, there was not a single Muslim.  However, after the introduction of Islam in this part of the world, now there are more than 400 million Muslims in today’s India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. 

Mr Hussain said that if some people claim that only those are Sinhdis who have been living here from the beginning and those who migrated here have no right to call themselves as Sindhis and live here; then in reply of this argument one can ask that the old religion of Sindh was not Islam and those who claim to be Sindhis will be accepted as Sindhis only when they become non-Muslims – will they leave Islam?  Mr Hussain asked that those who demand that Urdu-speaking people should be send back to India but why don’t they demand that the Syeds of Sindh be sent back to Arab?  Mr Hussain said that it is the conspiracy of the establishment to divide the people of Sindh on the basis of language, ethnicity and religion because these elements want to keep away from the MQM.

Mr Hussain said that the Establishment and its agents are well aware that Altaf Hussain is the only leader in Pakistan who belongs to middleclass and will never become an agent of the Establishment.  Therefore, the feudal lords of Sindh fear that if the poor and deprived people of Sindh will get united under the leadership of Altaf Hussain then what will be the fate of their huge lands (jaagirs).  Mr Hussain said that very soon the deprived people of Sindh will be freed from the curse of medieval feudal system as they have now identified the real enemies of Sindh.  Nothing is impossible in this world – if one is determined, steadfast, honest and sincere then organisational work spreads even to the remote areas where no one ever heard about MQM’s manifesto.  Today, by the Grace of Allah Almighty, MQM’s message is spreading in every nook and corner of Sindh and the deprived people of Sindh are uniting under the banner of MQM.  In the presence of feudal system and its brute force the poor peasants and farmers are now allowed to have their own political opinion or belief.  For the past 56 years, the so-called nationalists of Sindh have been raising the issues of injustices and deprivation against Sindh but they fail to bring an end to the preferential treatment meted out to Sindh province.  The basic reason for this failure is that the majority of these so-called nationalists have traded their positions for personal interests.  Most of these so-called nationalists’ leaders belong to the feudal class.  Besides the MQM, there is no other party in Sindh which has been formed and established by the deprived, poor and middleclass people.  If the people of Sindh believe that a king or minister or a feudal lord will come to their rescue and attain their rights then they are in an illusion.  Those who are used to lecherous lifestyle have no interest for the solution of poor and deprived people’s problems.  On the other hand, if a person belonging to poor and middleclass is true to his ideology, then that person is not supported either by the Establishment or the feudal class.  If anyone joins the party of the poor and middle class people then he is not only penalised by the feudal but his entire family has to face the consequences.  Mr Hussain said that the agents of Establishment, the so-called nationalists, are not sincere to Sindh, therefore, the people of Sindh must come forward to struggle for the rights of Sindh.

Mr Hussain further said that in the 56-year history of Pakistan, Muttahida Quami Movement is the only political party, which represents the poor and middleclass.  Majority of its leadership belongs to poor and middleclass.  It is the need of time that the permanent settlers of Sindh must support the MQM in the struggle for the rights of Sindh.  However, if they do not want to join the MQM then they should evolve leadership and their own party, based on the MQM ideology, from among themselves to struggle for the rights of Sindh province.  Mr Hussain felicitated the newly elected office bearers of MQM Sanghar Zone and directed them to spread the righteous message of the MQM in every nook and corner of Sindh.