Sardar Attaullah
Mengal, Convenor PONM, President of Baluchistan National Party (BNP),
Mr Mahmood Khan Achakzai, Chairman Pakhtoon Khwa Milli Awami
Party (PKMAP) and Mr Altaf Hussain, Founder and Leader of
Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) held a meeting at the
International Secretariat of the MQM in London. The meeting
lasted for five and a half hours. During their meeting the
three leaders discussed in detail the steps taken by the military
government in Pakistan, injustices against the smaller ethno-linguistic
nations, victimisation of political leaders in the name of
accountability, the problems faced by the public; and the overall
state of affairs of the country.In a joint statement issued after the meeting, Sardar Attaullah Mengal, Mr Mahmood Khan Achakzai and Mr Altaf Hussain stated that unfortunately democracy was never allowed to flourish in Pakistan. Time and again, the democracy was strangulated with the imposition of the Martial Law. The right to freedom of political activities has been denied and the Constitution trampled under the military boots. In the fifty-three (53) years history of the country, the military directly ruled the country for twenty-six (26) years and they remained indirectly in control of the country for the rest of the period. It was during the Army Rule that the country was dismembered. The fundamental duty of the Army is to defend the borders of the country. However, unfortunately, the Army has been employed to topple the elected governments time and again, takeover the government and run the civil administration of the country, which is not in the best interest of the country. It is, therefore, vital for the integrity, solidarity and survival of the country that without further delay the Army returns to the barracks and the governance of the country is handed over to the duly elected representatives.
Sardar Attaullah Mengal, Mr Mahmood Khan Achakzai and Mr Altaf Hussain strongly deplored the supremacy of Punjab; and the injustices and highhandedness against the smaller ethno-linguistic nations of the country. They stated that on the pretext of Federation, the Punjabi Establishment has made Sindh, Baluchistan and the Pakthoonkhwa as their colony and controlling these provinces by sending the Police, paramilitary rangers, civil and military bureaucrats from Punjab. They stated that smaller nations particularly Sindhis, Baloch, Pakhtoons, Mohajirs and Seraikis do not accept the dictatorship of autocratic armed forces. They seek their fundamental rights according to the principles of democracy and justice. The Punjabi Establishment is maligning the image of these nations in accordance with their criminalisation policy to crush the struggle for their rights. Once again as in the past, in Baluchistan on the pretext of search for weapons, the Baloch and Pakhtoon areas are subjected to military operation. Similarly, the rights of the Sindh province are being usurped and the urban areas of Sindh, military operation against Mohajirs is continuing.
The autonomy of these smaller provinces has been denied and they have been deprived of their legitimate rights. The smaller ethno-linguistic nations are being persistently denied of their rights and treated unjustly in the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award. The resources of these smaller provinces are not being spent on the development of the urban and rural areas of these provinces. As a result of the persistent unjust and discriminatory policies of the Punjabi Establishment, the sense of deprivation amongst the smaller ethno-linguistic nations is intensifying with every passing day. Consequently, unrest is rising amongst the people of the smaller ethno-linguistic nations, which cannot be reduced with trivial actions. It is, therefore, essential for the integrity and survival of the country that the growing sense of deprivation amongst the smaller ethno-linguistic nations is eliminated. The solution is that all the smaller nations are provided full autonomy according to the 1940 Lahore Resolution to end of the supremacy of Punjab and equal rights to all the ethno-linguistic minorities are honoured. Moreover, establishment of a democratic and just system in the country is now inevitable that should be free of military intervention in the governance and the military must not have any political role. The military should be confined to defend the borders of the country. Furthermore, the establishment of a democratic and just system where all ethnic and cultural units should have equal rights, no one should have supremacy over the other, the language of every nation should be their administrative language and the medium of education. All the religious minorities have equal rights and are allowed to live their lives according to their own religious beliefs and equal rights are provided to women.
In their joint statement, the three leaders condemned the biased treatment of Sindh province in the matter of the division of water supply and the program to build Kalabagh Dam in Punjab. They pointed out the extent of prejudice of Punjabi Establishment is that the water of River Indus is deliberately being diverted towards Punjab that on the one hand cities of Bannu, Kohat, Dera Ismaeel Khan and Swabi of Pakhtoonkhwa province are adversely affected whereas on the other hand the lands in Sindh are turning barren for lack of essential water supply. Furthermore, despite the outcry of the smaller nations against the Kalabagh Dam, the construction program is progressing regardless. This is to strengthen the hold of Punjabi Establishment over smaller nations and to keep them subservient. The inequitable distribution of vital element such as water is not conducive to national pluralism and solidarity of the country.
In their joint statement, Sardar Attaullah Mengal, Mr Mahmood Khan Achakzai and Mr Altaf Hussain stated that they are not against accountability. All those who are or have been involved in squandering national wealth should be taken to task, whether they are military personnel or civilians. But the right of accountability should rest only with those who have the public mandate through general elections. As the present military government is unconstitutional and does not hold the public mandate, therefore, it does not have the right to carry out the accountability process. The kind of accountability we are witnessing today is confined to a few politicians and a few industrialists, who have been sentenced on corruption charges, but those corrupt military generals and officials and top politicians who took billions in commissions and kickbacks have gone scot-free.
In their joint statement, the three leaders expressed their dismay over the role of the judiciary. They said that how could the people have the confidence in such judiciary whose judges have taken oath of allegiance under the Provisional Constitutional Order (PCO) swearing their faithfulness to the Military Government disregarding the Constitution of the country, hence shredded the Constitution by their regrettable act? They also commended those conscientious and principled judges from Sindh province who volunteered to resign instead of swearing their allegiance to the Military Government under the Provisional Constitutional Order (PCO).
In their joint statement, Sardar Ataullah Mengal, Mr Mahmood Khan Achakzai and Mr Altaf Hussain expressed their concerns over unemployment, impoverishment, illiteracy, spiralling cost of living and economic disorder faced to the country. They said that since an unconstitutional government is in vogue in the country and, therefore, it does not appear interested in taking steps for solving the problems faced by the people and for their welfare and sustenance. They said that the prices of essential items in the country are accelerating in a manner that it is reaching the sky and beyond the buying power of the people. Unemployment in the country is already widespread and now under the guise of downsizing, the Military Government is forcibly retrenching employees from Government and semi-Government institutions, which is further worsening the situation. The spiralling cost of living tantamount to the denial of “right to life” and while the people because of impoverishment and starvation are forced to commit suicides but the Military Government seems unconcerned over the plight and the misery of the people. They stated that the people are devastated, country is faced with economic collapse and the foundation of the administrative machinery is hollowed but the Military Rulers appear indifferent and unconcerned over this crisis but continue to lead a regal and licentious life style.
In their joint statement, Sardar Ataullah Mengal, Mr Mahmood Khan Achakzai and Mr Altaf Hussain advised the people but particularly of the smaller nations to demonstrate total unity for the attainment of their due rights and through their exemplary unity demonstrate to the Punjabi Establishment that the conspiracy of “Greater Punjab” would not be allowed to succeed. They further said that people belonging to the smaller nations would not hesitate in making any sacrifice to rid the land of Sindh, Pakhtoonkhwa and Balochistan of the tyrannical Punjabi hegemony and for the attainment of their fundamental rights.