Daily Times

Sir: The people of Sindh have given greater sacrifices for democracy in the country and had never supported military rule or governments installed in the province through the establishment’s manoeuvring. Such trust of the people on democracy was never supposed to witness loot and plunder by politicians, who assume power through their votes. Instead the people of Sindh deserved judicious treatment and a corruption-free society. But what they have been given in return for their sacrifices, their struggle and their love for democracy is abject poverty; ignorance; an unjust society; corrupt government institutions and unemployment.

There are so many aspects of poverty and ignorance that have gripped Sindh’s society. The people are deprived of a respectable life with no quality education from public institutions; no health facilities; no access to safe drinking water; no proper sanitation conditions; no conducive environment to live in; no affordable transport facility and no opportunities of employment.

These are only a few deprivations to quote. There is exploitation everywhere; no government is seen; the system has been hijacked by unscrupulous people; the local institutions have been accused of being subservient to the interests of the stronger. This pathetic attitude of the rulers has reduced the people of the province to one of the most pitiable societies in the world.

This state of backwardness and poverty is the common feature of daily life for the local people of a province that is the motherbed of the state created in 1947; which is most resourceful among all the provinces in the country; which is producing a large quantity of oil, gas and coal; which is collecting larger taxes than any other province of the country; which is providing opportunities of livelihood to thousands of people who migrated here from various parts of the country; which is a gateway of the country’s whole economy through its seaports; which is the biggest agriculture and food related supplier, including meat, milk and fruits.

What they are getting back for all these contributions to the country is receiving titles of most poor people; most illiterate; most incapable; most unskilled (in terms of information technology and other technical fields) and above all most unworthy of managing their own affairs politically and administratively. The people of Sindh do not deserve such treatment.

ABDUL SAMAD CHANNA

Karachi