ALTAF HUSSAIN’S
OPEN LETTER TO THE MOST REVEREND SINDHI ELDERS, CARING MOTHERS,
LOVING SISTERS AND EXUBERANT YOUTH
26 January 2000
My Dear Sindhi Brethren,
Elders, Mothers, Sisters and
Youth living on the Land of Shah
Latif
Assalam-o-Alaikum
Virtually this open letter is an
epitome of verbalism but in fact it is the voice of my inner
heart full of pathos and agony which I hope will not go unheard
and un responded. In all earnestness, it deserves careful and
serious consideration by you all.
Allow me to pose a
question straightaway. Have the common Sindhis of the province of
Sindh got freedom after the creation of Pakistan? Before
independence, Sindh was a British colony and now it has virtually
become a colony of Punjabi Rulers. In the wake of British policy
of ‘divide and rule’, the Punjabi Establishment created
its own hegemony over Sindh by creating a deep rift and hatred
between the Sindhis and Mohajirs. It is on record that Sindh is
sustaining the burden of Pakistan for the last 52 years. It is
generating 70% of the total Pakistan revenues but let me ask what
Sindh is getting in return from the Punjabi Establishment? The
pace of development is equally dismal. It is rather irony of fate
that against the sacrifices made by the province of Sindh, its
people have been rewarded with poverty and adversity. Shower of
bullets and dead-bodies they reaped as harvest of their labour.
And top of it all they were dubbed as traitors. Sain G M Syed who
greatly contributed and voted towards the success of the Pakistan
Resolution was also proclaimed as a traitor by the Punjabi
Establishment for supporting Muslim League and put behind bars,
where he languished till his death. It is a fact that whenever
Pakistan was confronted with a severe crisis the Punjabi
establishment used Sindh and its people for its rescue. After the
fall of Dhaka, Pakistan was in complete disarray. Surrender of
ninety three thousand force before the Indian Army had
demoralized the armed forces. At that critical juncture, late
Zulfiquar Ali Bhutto was used to serve the nefarious ends of the
Punjabi Establishment. Through him, a cleavage between rural and
urban population was created through the imposition of urban
rural quota. Had Z A Bhutto forced the Punjabi establishment to
release 70% of the funds from the Federal Government generated by
this province for its development, Sindh would have become like
Paris or London, having widespread education, full employment and
economic prosperity. Alas! It did not happen. On the contrary,
the Punjabi Establishment engineered the Linguistic Riots in
Sindh in 1972 to create a permanent gulf between the Sindhis and
Mohajirs. And when the Punjabi Establishment achieved its purpose
through Zulfiquar Ali Bhutto, he was hanged and martial law was
clamped by the Punjabi Establishment.
When the people of this
oppressed province launched Movement for the Restoration of
Democracy (MRD), the movement was suppressed by ruthless force.
Sindhis were massacred and Sindhi youth were lashed and hanged
with impunity.
To appease the disgruntled
Sindhis, General Zia ul Haque enhanced the Quota System for
another ten years. Similarly, Mohammad Khan Junejo another Sindhi
prime minister too fell victim to the intrigues of the Punjabi
Establishment. On his return from abroad, where he was on an
official tour, told at the Airport whether, he would like to go
by his own car or a taxi be arranged for him as he has ceased to
be a prime minister. In accordance with the People party’s
version Shah Nawaz Bhutto son of late Zulfiquar Ali Bhutto was
also murdered. During the tenure of Benazir Government, thousands
of Mohajirs were killed extra judicially and the involved police
officers were praised and rewarded with cash/promotions by
Benazir Bhutto. Benazir Bhutto in order to appease the Punjabi
Establishment and to stay in power was so carried away that she
began to delude herself that her salvation lies in such
appeasement. Murtaza Bhutto her own brother and heir to Zulfiquar
Ali Bhutto was murdered by the same police officials during her
government, but Benazir Bhutto could not initiate any action
against the culprits just to save her own government. In the end,
she too was removed from the high office soon thereafter.
My Dear Sindhi Brethren
Sindh’s situation is most
pathetic. Shah Latif must be in great agony even when he is not
with us. What a shame! In the name of Sindhis and their rights
the so-called Sindhi leaders have almost sold the land of Shah
Latif. Contracts, monetary benefits, ministries seem to have
become their lifelong ambition. These so-called Sindi leaders to
save their own interests have conspired with Punjabi
Establishment to bargain the land of Sindh and now Sindh is under
complete domination of Punjabi Establishment. Please ponder. Why
is it that all retired army generals have been allocated the most
fertile of land of Sindh? Why they are not allotted land in
Punjab or in any other province? Please for God’s sake try
to understand the conspiracy hatched by the Punjabi Establishment
against your province.
My Dear Sindhi Brethren
Burying the past bitterness, I
did resolve, under the banner of MQM, to forge unity and harmony
between Mohajirs and Sindhis. This did yield some good results.
But the Punjabi Establishment through its agents on 30 September
1988 engineered a massacre of Mohajirs at Hyderabad. As a result,
more than two hundred Mohajirs were killed and thousands injured.
Next day under the guise of reaction to the Hyderabad Massacre,
the Punjabi Establishment through its agents got many Sindhis
killed and injured. This coupled with the Pucca Qila Operation
launched under the first tenure of Benazir Bhutto; the Punjabi
Establishment sowed the seed of hatred and discord between the
Sindhis and Mohajirs so that no saner voice could be raised to
protect the interest of Sindh. This evil design succeeded and
thus Sindh continued to be a colony of Punjab.
My Dear Sindhi Brethren
Please just think is
there any raison d’etre for this feud between Sindhis
and Mohajirs. Has the Mohajirs caused any loss to Sindh? For God’s
sake, do not misunderstand me. Mohajirs are now part of Sindh and
earn their livelihood from this very province. Whatever they earn
they spend here. They do not remit money beyond the boundaries of
the Province. They live here and their dead bodies are not
transported outside the Province. They all are buried in Sindh.
All their fortunes are tied to the prosperity of Sindh. They sink
and swim together with their Sindhi brethren. It is now their
Homeland. Please believe me that Mohajirs are not the enemies of
Sindh or Sindhis. Had the Mohajirs been agents of Punjabi
Establishment, Army operation against them would not been
launched in 1992, that is still continuing. More than 20,000
Mohajirs have been ruthlessly killed so far while thousands have
been sent to prisons on false and fabricated charges. An equal
number are in hiding for fear of arrest on false cases. Hundreds
have been sentenced to death or life imprisonment without legal
evidence. It is a pity that thousands of Mohajirs have been
displaced from their homes and left destitute.
My Dear Sindhi Brethren
It is most unfortunate that even
today the so-called Sindhi leaders talk of the rights of Sindhis
but hurl abuses against Mohajirs. Mohajirs are threatened to be
thrown into the Arabian Sea. But what a contrast. These so-called
Sindhi leaders have never raised their voice against the Punjabi
Establishment, as they themselves have become their agents. It is
no secret that the land of Shah Latif has been sold by them just
to enrich themselves. I repeat, Hazrat Shah Latif must be in
great agony and must be exhorting the Sindhi elders, sons, and
daughters to rescue Sindh from the clutches of the Punjabi
Establishment and to restore peace and harmony in this land of
soofis and poets.
My Dear Sindhi Brethren
A few months ago,
I had stated categorically that I am the son of Sindh Dharti.
Please do not treat me as an alien. I am not the enemy of Sindh
and its people. But unfortunately, my statement was ridiculed by
the so-called Sindhi leaders. However, I have not lost faith. I
am earnest and sincere in my belief and conviction and once again
with all sincerity, appeal to the elders, sons, daughters, youth,
intellectuals, journalists, lawyers, professors, poets, critics
and all persons belonging to all walks of life from Sindh in the
name of God and Shah Latif to come forward and rescue the land of
Shah Latif from the clutches of Punjabi Establishment. I assure
you that I have no axe to grind. I have no intention to rule
Sindh. I will be just content to be the son of the soil of Sindh.
Please try to appreciate my sentiments and thoughts as your own
brother/son and do guide me how to serve you and the land of Shah
Latif. Please do send me your views and suggestions on the
address, phone number, fax number or email address given below:
70 Colindale Avenue
London NW9 5ES
United Kingdom
Email: [email protected]
Phone: ++44 (208) 3589000
Fax: ++44 (208) 9059527
To conclude, I would like to say
that those who bargain their conscience and self-respect do not
live in exile. Please do ponder over what I have attempted to
convey.
Yours truly
Altaf Hussain
London
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