DEPLOYMENT OF ON-DUTY AND RETIRED ARMY OFFICERS IN CIVIL ADMINISTRATION, GOVERNMENT AND SEMI-GOVERNMENT INSTITUTES IS HIGHLY DEPLORABLE AND IS TANTAMOUNT TO STEALING THE RIGHTS OF THE SMALLER PROVINCES

JOINT STATEMENT OF SARDAR ATAULLAH MENGAL, MR MAHMOOD KHAN ACHAKZAI AND MR ALTAF HUSSAIN

 

London -- 3 October 2000

 

Sardar Ataullah Mengal, Convenor PONM and President of BNP, Mr Mahmood Khan Achakzai, Chiarman PKMAP and Mr Altaf Hussain, MQM Founder and Leader, in a joint statement have stated that the deployment of on-duty and retired army officers on important key position of civil administration, the government and semi-government institutes is highly deplorable and is tantamount to stealing the rights of the smaller provinces.  They said that on the one hand, under the guise of “downsizing and rightsizing”, the Punjabi Establishment is laying off government and semi-government employees of smaller provinces and making them unemployed, whereas on the other hand, on-duty and retired army officers are being deployed on important positions of civil administration, the government and semi-government institutions.  They asked that if the present government considers that there are surplus employees in these institutions and under this pretext these employees are being laid off then why the key positions of these institutions are being filled with the army officers?  This biased attitude of the present government is generating a question in the minds of the people of the smaller provinces that we are being pushed towards starvation and the army officers belonging to the province of Punjab, who are already employed, are being posted on the key positions in our provinces.

 

The three leaders said that in the past, the Punjabi Establishment deprived the Bengalis of their rights, which resulted in their separation from Pakistan and the creation of Bangladesh.  The Punjabi Establishment did not learn any lesson from the sad incident of the surrender of 93000 army personnel in Dhaka and the separation of the East Pakistan.  On the contrary, the Punjabi Establishment was happy that Bengalis have now separated themselves from Pakistan; and now the Punjabi Establishment can easily rule the remaining Pakistan.  As a result of this chauvinistic mentality, the Punjabi Establishment is carrying out its policy of colonising the smaller provinces, deny the people of smaller provinces of their due rights, and is depriving them even with their right to benefit from the resources of their own provinces.  It is a historical fact that the process of persistent denial of due rights to its citizens by any State not only breeds “anarchy” but also the process of fragmentation of that State also begins.  The dreadful and alarming situation faced by Pakistan, internally and externally; and the threats to the Federation of Pakistan is due to the same colonisation policy of the Punjabi Establishment.  Therefore, the only way to strengthen Pakistan and its Federation, is to consider all the citizens as equal, all the provinces and nations of Pakistan be provided equal rights and powers on the basis of equality of nations, the process of colonisation of smaller provinces by the Punjabi Establishment must end, and justice be provided to all.  This way we can also evade the repetition of the tragedy of East Pakistan.

 

Sardar Ataullah Mengal, Mr Mahmood Khan Achakzai and Mr Altaf Hussain demanded that the laying off of the employees, belonging to the smaller provinces, under the pretext of “downsizing” and “rightsizing” and making them “unemployed”, must be stopped forthwith.  In addition, all those who have been forcefully laid off must be reinstated, the process of deploying army officers on the key position in the smaller provinces must end and all those posted army officers must be sent back to their barracks.