Former Law Minister Ram Jethmalani on Nov. 9 warned Pakistan’s military regime of the possibility of the Sindh province seceding from the country if urgent steps were not taken to redress the genuine grievances of its people.
“If Sindhis today feel that that they have no place in Pakistan, Kashmiris have no place in Pakistan either,” he said in his key-note address at a conference organized here by the World Sindhi Institute (WSI) to discuss, ‘Sindh, the Water Crisis and the Future of Pakistan.’ “Both regions have a common civilization based on the syntheses of the best in Islam and Hinduism.”
“Who is Gen. Pervez Musharraf (Pakistani President) to tell me to hold plebiscite in Kashmir, I can counter by telling him to hold plebiscite in Sindh,” Jethmalani said.
He said, “I have no doubt that unless some urgent measures are taken to please or mollify the Sindhi psyche, the Sindhis will decide to secede and probably join rest of their community in the world.”
He said the Indus river had been a lifeline for the Sindh province. Both Hindus and Muslims of the region worship the river. That the Punjabi-dominated Pakistan government had deliberately created shortage of water in the river was unbelievable, he said, adding that it had affected adversely affected the economy of the region.
He was critical of the United States for backing dictators like Gen. Musharraf and allowing them to use the argument of democracy to throttle democracy.
He said the U.S. should at least
ensure that billions of dollars it had of late been pouring into Pakistan
in the name of fighting terrorism should not go to add to the aggressiveness
of its armed forces. It should ensure that the money should go toward the
welfare of the people.