The call for the creation of a separate province for the Urdu-speaking community by the leader of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Altaf Hussain, has sparked a political firestorm in the country.
Much to the dismay of the MQM supporters he retraced his steps within 24 hours. However, both his speeches were same in tone and tenor but different in wording. Denying that he wanted division of the province, he floated yet another idea. Calling for a 50-50 percent power sharing in the government, the MQM chief said that a UN-sponsored census would prove majority of Muhajirs — descendants of Muslims who had migrated from India after independence from British rule in 1947 — in Sindh.
According to his proposal, the provincial government should declare Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Sindhis owner of Sindh 1 (one) while the remaining Pakthoons, Sindhis, Kashmiris, Baloch, Punjabis, Muhajirs owner of Sindh 2.
Hussain’s demand was, as usual, well received by his supporters. On the other hand, his statement drew strong reactions from leaders of different political parties and ethnic groups. Despite differences in opinions and ideologies, most of them joined the chorus against the MQM and fired salvo over this demand.
The PPP led the onslaught apparently in a bid to belittle its principal opponent in the upcoming local elections.
MQM’s persistent electoral gains in Karachi and Hyderabad — two major cities of Sindh province — since 1988 are being resented by many for which they leave no stone unturned to find an excuse to lambaste the MQM so as to create some political space for themselves in the two cities. Hussain’s latest speech provided them with an opportunity to launch a fresh attack on his party and to portray it as a secessionist movement.
Interestingly, the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) refrained from jumping on the bandwagon. While its key leaders kept mum, one of its protégés Irfanullah Marwat, elected to the Sindh Assembly as PML-N nominee from Karachi, tried to resurrect the ghosts of the past by accusing Hussain of trying to fulfill his “old desire” of breaking away from Pakistan to create “Jinnahpur.”
Analysts, including eminent journalists from Punjab, backed MQM’s demand for a separate province. They argue that creation of new provinces is crucial for effective management of public affairs. As a matter of fact, such a demand is not new in Pakistan. The Hazara community in the Kyhber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province has been demanding a separate province. Similar calls are heard on and off from parts of southern Punjab. Unbiased analysts without mincing words question the strong criticism over the issue of a province for Muhajirs.
The demand for a separate province for Muhajirs requires a fair analysis. The birth of the MQM in the 1980s was a reaction to the discriminating policies of successive governments particularly those adopted by then Prime Minister (late) Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. To consolidate his hold on the province — seen as PPP bastion — he introduced policies to appease Sindhis that subsequently marginalized the Muhajirs. Bhutto gave out-of-turn promotions to Sindhis in the bureaucracy and introduced the unjust quota system that deepened the mistrust between the rural and urban population of the province.
Seen in historical perspective, this demand appears logical. One is reminded of the debacle of East Pakistan. Acceptance of Sheikh Mujeebur Rehman’s six-point formula in 1971 might have saved East Pakistan. Hussain, a leader with massive following, could ensure a peaceful solution to a rapidly developing explosive issue. But again, the million-dollar question here is will the MQM stand its ground or will it change its stance. Many analysts say Hussain has gone far beyond the point of no return.
