Lawyers, activists and civil society reject new provinces, administrative units and alleged resource grab
A march for unity of Sindh in Karachi on Sunday. — EXPRESS
KARACHI:
A large number of lawyers, students, intellectuals, writers, political and social activists and civil society representatives participated in a “Sindh Unity March” in Karachi on Saturday, rejecting calls for new provinces or administrative units in the province.
The march was organised on the call of the Sindh United Party (SUP) and Sindh United Lawyers Forum. It began at Regal Chowk in Saddar and passed through Liaquat Road, the Sindh Assembly, Court Road, Data Corner and Sarwar Shaheed Road before culminating outside the Karachi Press Club.
Participants raised slogans in support of Sindh’s historical, geographical, political and administrative unity and against what they described as attempts to take control of the Indus River, the province’s water, land, coastline and natural resources.
SUP leaders Roshan Ali Buriro, Aftab Khanzada and Advocate Khawaja Naveed, along with representatives of political and nationalist parties, bar associations, civil society and other groups, took part in the march. Social activist Sheema Kermani was also among the participants.
Addressing the gathering, speakers rejected any proposal to divide Sindh into new provinces or administrative units, saying there would be “no compromise” on the province’s unity.
They said any attempt to divide Sindh, regardless of the name or formula used, would be unacceptable. Sindh’s administrative unity was not merely a line on a map but a historical, geographical, cultural and political reality spanning centuries, they added.
The speakers described the creation of new administrative units as an attempt to undermine Sindh’s unity and warned that weakening the province’s constitutional and geographical status could have implications for the country’s federal structure.
They also alleged that proposals for new provinces were aimed at facilitating control over Sindh’s land, water and natural resources.
The speakers called for the complete withdrawal of controversial canal projects, saying merely postponing them was insufficient. They said no compromise or ambiguous policy would be accepted on Sindh’s water resources.
Referring to the 1940 Lahore Resolution, the speakers said its fundamental principles could not be ignored. They said Pakistan was a multinational federation whose strength depended on mutual respect, constitutional supremacy, provincial autonomy and equitable distribution of resources.
They demanded action under Article 6 of the Constitution and other relevant laws against those allegedly involved in efforts to divide Sindh or create new provinces.
The speakers also emphasised that the movement was not directed against any particular language or community. All citizens who considered Sindh their homeland were equal residents of the province, they said.
They described the defence of Sindh’s unity as a peaceful and democratic struggle for a shared homeland, peace and constitutional rights.
Participants pledged to continue their constitutional and democratic struggle to protect Sindh’s unity, geography, water, land and natural resources, saying attempts to divide the province or take control of its resources would be resisted through political unity and public mobilisation.
