From: tnb99@isuvax.iastate.edu
Subject: MUHAJIRS/SIND
Reply-To: tnb99@isuvax.iastate.edu
Organization: Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa
Date: Tue, 14 Apr 1992 01:56:11 GMT

I have been reading the articles posted by my Mohajir as well as some 
es I find that this subject is almost always dealt with emotions and the 
arguments are some kind of an attack from one group to another. What I am
trying to do today is giving some facts and completely neutral statements.

What I state is:-

       1.  The division of Pakistan was based on the TWO NATION THEORY with
    religon being the driving force.
     
       2.  Unfotunately before partition the provincial boundries of 
   Punjab, Sind, Baluchistan, NWFP had been there for such a long period
   of time that although these were formed completely ADMINISTRATIVE grounds
   they had taken the shape of some kind of cultural lines.

       3.  The Muslims all over India had taken part in the freedom movement
   and none of the so called Punjabis, Pathans, Baluchis, Sindhis, Mohajirs
   had opposed it. Almost all those who opposed the TWO NATION THEORY opted to     remain in India.

       4.  Millions of people migrated from the Hindu majority areas to 
   Pakistan.

       5.  These people had left all their belongings in India and were
   compensated by the Government of Pakistan  with assets mainly AGRICULTURE
   LAND.

       6.  Most of the people who had an agriculture back ground settled in
   -N. However the Majority of the Urdu speaking Mohajirs were of Business 
   profession and settled in Karachi where they had wide career oppurtunities.
       7.  These people WERE IN MOST CASES ALLOCATED AGRICULTURE LAND IN
   INTERIOR SINDH. 

       8.  They either sold it to the locals or to this day have it ( legally
   speaking) but do not cultivate it mainly due to their having no interest 
   in agriculture.

       9.  This created two parts of sindh with Mohajir and local majorities 
    
       10. Today the configuration is that 28% of sindh's population is 
   mohajir and 72% locals.

       11. The locals feel that they have been deprived  of their cities,
   educational as well as career oppurtunities by these business minded
   people and that the mohajirs are people who did not cultivate the land 
   allocated to them just because agriculture takes a lot more than business
   and returns a lot less. THIS FEELING IS FURTHER SUPPORTED BY THE FACT that
   mohajirs being almost 8-9% of the national population comprise only 2%
   of the armed forces and other law enforcing agencies and that even
   at high ranks thus the feeling that mohajirs are people who just want to
   rule.

       12. If the people in sindh carry on voting on ethnic grounds there
   IS NO CHANCE OF MOHAJIRS FORMING THE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENt.

       13. The present perks that the MQM is enjoying are not due to their
   strategy or strength but due to the anti-ppp govt. in center. However
   every logic comes to the conclusion THAT THIS WON"T LAST LONG AND THAT
   eventually MQM is never going to form govt. in sindh.

       14. MQM should realize the above mentioned fact and try to mend fences
   because with 28/100 members in the assembly you do not expect the motions and laws to go your way.

       15. The starting point of MQM was due to the feeling among Mohajirs
  that sindhs with less % age marks were admitted ( the quota sys). This is a
  argument with no logic as a STUDENT IN KHOSKI CERTAINLY CANNOT HAVE the 
  same facilities as a student in Karachi. Thus the people of the interior
  definitely deserve some sympathetic cosideration. THIS QUOTA SYSTEM 
  WHICH is critcized by every mohajir is still applicable on the same basis
  in PUNJAB'S EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS AND NO PUNJABI HAS EVER SPOKEN AGAINST
  it.

      16.  THESE FEELINGS OF HATRED  among the sindh population are provoking
  similar feelings among the Punjab population which is 65% of Pakistan 
  against the people of other provinces and though punjab has not yet given
  an overwhelming decision that can be called racist HOWEVER MANY POLITICAL
  ANALYSTS BELIEVE THAT MIAN NAWAZ SHARIF CAME TO POWER AS A RESULT OF THE FEELING IN PUNJAB THAT IN THE 40 YEARS OF history there has never been a punjabi
  prime minister.

      17.  If GOD FORBID, some day punjabis start thinking as their mohajir and sindhi brothers do they will not only be able to form their govt in center
   but also will be in a position to pass every law they want and thus creating  chaos and disintegration of the country.

      18.  THOSE PEOPLE ( AND PERSONALLY I FEEL THEY ARE OUT OF THEIR
   MINDS AND MUST HAVE THE WEAKEST FAITH IN RELIGION ) WHO ARGUE THAT 
   WE SHOULD accept what they say is the fact that the religion is unable to
   hold us together and we should think about keeping pakistan together
   alongwith these ethnic identities, have just no idea what Islam is
   about and should think that

                  OUR HOLY PROPHET (pbuh) ELIMINATED ETHNICITY AMONG MUSLIMS
                  AND ISLAM DOES NOT ALLOW SUCH DIVISIONS

                  THE PRESENT SITUATION IS DUE TO OUR WEAK FAITH IN ISLAM
                  AND THE CURE IS STRONGER FAITH IN THE RELIGION AND NOT 
                  FUTHER PERTING AWAY.

                  OUR FORE FATHERS PAID UN IMAGINEABLE PRICE FOR THIS 
                  HOME LAND AND IF NOTHING ELSE LET US FORGET THIS HATRED
                  AS A SHOW OF RESPECT TOWARDS THEIR SOULS.


     At last I would like to state that I realize that many of my friends
     would not agree as whole or in part and am also ready for the fire
     that this article would draw. [ Frankly I don't care].

     ADNAN ALI
Newsgroups: soc.culture.pakistan