Sindhis also victims of recent violence

Society Pakistan & World Affairs
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Re: Looters/Deciots in Sindh were probably PML[Q]/MQM people

If you read again, the article without mentioning the PML[Q] and MQM clearly shows that many acts of destruction vandalism had nothing to do with Sindhis or the PPP and seemed like 'professional'... Im going to post them again since you completel missed them.

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Re: Looters/Deciots in Sindh were probably PML[Q]/MQM people

One example, why were those ppl released if they were 'caught'? Also, the fact taht they were carrying PPP flags while going on vandal sprees just shows that it was a drama.

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In Hyderabad and Hala, property of PPP supporters was also damaged and looted. A majority of the victims were Sindhi-speaking.

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PPP or sindhis damaging PPP supporters properties? Doesnt make sense.

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Despite the concerted efforts of certain elements in spreading ethnic hatred in Sindh, non-Sindhi speaking people by and large also termed these tactics as being against the solidarity of the country.

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Why o why?

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Dilber Khan, an ethnic Pakhtoon and vice president of the damaged Light House market in Karachi, said Sindhis were generally peace-loving people and he was not afraid of them. Talking to The News at the Light House bazaar, where more than 10 shops were burnt during the violence, he rejected the stories of ethnic hatred being a motive for the strife saying he had lived in the interior of Sindh and found the Sindhi people as patriotic as anyone else in this country. In fact, Khan said that locals, including Sindhis, helped them in controlling the fire.
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For the DID does dare the tale she tell
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Re: Looters/Deciots in Sindh were probably PML[Q]/MQM people

Bhajijan Light House is not far away from Lyari - the area full of criminal gangs, even during normal days, hardly any outsider dare to enter that area.

Here in Karachi, Maxco garment factory burnt with six employees inside - it is very close to PPP stronghold area of Ibrahim Hyderi. Afzaal Motor - Daewoo Pakistan, was damaged and some parts of the factory burnt. This is on main national highway right in front of Jeay Sindh and PPP stronghold area. Our own factory managers and staff saw people burning cars and stright firing on people at that place on the evening of Decemeber 27.

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Re: Looters/Deciots in Sindh were probably PML[Q]/MQM people

I can't say who really was behind the looting but can say that it wasn't MQM. I have many many relatives in Sukkur, majority of them are with MQM, the "mohajir" businesses were singled out and destroyed (there were no MQM flags on their shops but local people knew their affiliations). Islamuddin Sheikh who used to be staunch anti-PPP in 80s (probably 90s too) is now in bed in with Zardari, this sheikh sent teams of looters, torchers to destroy businesses in Sukkur.

In Karachi, in some areas MQM units saved mobs from entering their "mohalla" while big chunk of MQM stayed silent observer. However, the loot-maar-lover members of MQM may have participated in the loot-maar on their own.

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Re: Looters/Deciots in Sindh were probably PML[Q]/MQM people

I wonder why you people don’t understand what’s going on. Mush and his government are responsible for this all. Where was Govt when BB was shot dead??? Where were the Rangers and the Army?? No security officials were seen anywhere in Pakistan, especially in Sindh. Why Govt left ground open for looters? Why Govt left innocent people helpless? I think Govt made the plan to inject their looters and miscreants into the protesters so that at the end of the day PPP and Sindhis could be blamed. It was also part of the plan that how to earn sympathy for army, as people would finally cry for help. After 4 or 5 days Govt decided to deploy Arm forces to control the situations. Why Govt did not take that decision earlier so that many lives could be saved and damage could be reduced??

PCB tamasha - PCB plans action against Afridi -
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Re: Looters/Deciots in Sindh were probably PML[Q]/MQM people

Some people just want to be politically correct.....and want to distort the facts to project some political outfits as angels.....notwithstanding which ethnicity was responsible for these crimes.....every community will suffer from these crimes on long term basis.....as the biggest loss in all this episode was the loss of confidence......which is so much neccessary for continued generation of business....

I must point out the Sindhi/regional print media particularly who for last 30 years have continued to spread hatred for other communities in the country.....slowly brain washing the Sindhi community over the years that the reason for their plight are other communities.....instead of pointing out short comings of Sindhi community.....it's high time this should stop and brought under a code of conduct which restricts any type of media which spreads any sort of hatred...

helppp! How to make onion juice for the hair?
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Re: Looters/Deciots in Sindh were probably PML[Q]/MQM people

:k:

…and now the lota league has joined the band wagon to gain some cheap short term political mileage…none of our political leadership has the well being of nation as priority…

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Re: Looters/Deciots in Sindh were probably PML[Q]/MQM people

If anyone is Pathan, that does not mean he is from ANP. Most like they would be followers of some religious party, rather than ANP. In my opinion, ANP does not play the politics of violence.

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Re: Looters/Deciots in Sindh were probably PML[Q]/MQM people

When a rowdy mob is on the rampage, who cares to know who's property they are damaging.

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Re: Looters/Deciots in Sindh were probably PML[Q]/MQM people

Nope. PPP folks cant claim innocence.

I live in an area where much carnage happened, including the torching of a bank, several cars burnt and a famous restaurant damaged. I (in the process of coming home) was actually escorted to my house by these goons (or junior lieutenants of the goons) because of my mother's presence.

Definitely hardcore PPP people, and definitely involved in torching businesses and looting people (we saw them send back a shaken old man in his 50s after looting his wallet and mobile phone). You can talk to these people for 2 minutes and get an idea about who they are.

All the while shouting bhutto slogans.

There is a restaurant next to bhutto's house, that I believe to be related to her or someone fairly high up in PPP. They're always hanging around there, if you happen to venture close to the place they'll ask you whom you want to meet. When its not PPP central it functions as a competitor of Barbecue tonight, where it gets its ass handed to it.

While it was right next to bilawal house, not a single bit of vandalism happened to it. Yet BBQ tonite was partially razed. I suspect thats not a coincidence, though I have no proof for that.

Where my relatives live is a "very" mohajir community, with a Gotth closeby. When this happened a few pathans came and attacked an imam bargah in the mohallah. subsequently a few MQM folks were called in, and they left off, after hours of firing.

If you look at the violence, its mostly happened in places where non-Muhajirs lived, since basically there were two forces in Karachi at the time, MQM and PPP. While PML-Q may be playing the punjab card there, Karachi walay Punjabies are also PPP supporters and it was idiotic of them to do play up ethnicity so dangerously. Punjab Colony near Gizri had quite a bit of violence.

This is not to say professional looters werent taking the oppurtunity provided by the PPP induced chaos. The same people that mingled in when the molvies were naraz with Denmark, and they started razing shops and looting. Heck in our area the police was involved in the looting. Two instances:

i) the aforementioned PPP goons broke into an MCB bank. Police came along and sent them scurrying. they then proceeded to carry off all the equipment in the bank themselves. I dont really trust them to have taken it for safekeeping.

ii) a police mobile is always stationed close to our home since some higher up lives there. it was torched, we assumed it was the riots. we were later told by the chokidaar that the police burnt it themselves (in order to claim a new one later)

I think MQM is hedging its bets on a collaboration with PPP post elections, thus played nice and allowed PPP folk a free reign in their time of carnage

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Re: Sindhis also victims of recent violence

Non-Sindhis of Khairpur resent Elahi’s propaganda

Tuesday, January 08, 2008
By our correspondent

KHAIRPUR: Non-Sindhis living in the city have resented the propaganda campaign by Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Q) Punjab President Pervaiz Elahi in which he accused the Sindhis of damaging properties of Punjabis in riots in the aftermath of the assassination of Pakistan People’s Party chairperson Benazir Bhutto.

Prominent politician Chaudhry Sajid Hussain on Monday condemned the propaganda and said there was no ethnic dimension to rioting in the province after the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. No shop of Punjabis or other non-Sindhis was damaged or torched in the city, he said.

**Non-Sindhis and Sindhis are living side by side, he said. The Punjabis never feel themselves alien among the local population, he said, accusing Pervaiz Elahi of giving ethnic colour to the great tragedy.
**
Muhammad Yamin Punjabi, a supporter of the PPP, said he and his brothers have been booked and facing hardships but he condemns such elements who are trying to foment violence in the name of ethnicity. He said the people of the city are beyond such discrimination. During the violence not a single shop or house of any Punjabi was damaged in the city, he said.

**PML-Q worker Gulzar Hussain announced his disassociation from the PML-Q, saying irresponsible attitude of the Punjab former chief minister has compelled him and other party workers to leave the party because it is conspiring against the federation and projecting ethnicity.

Meanwhile, PML-Q leaders here are confused over the policy and condemning such ethnic publicity strongly. They protested to their leaders that such propaganda would lead to dismemberment of the country.

They said during rioting 11 people, including six bank employees, were killed and all of them were Sindhis. They urged the Punjab former chief minister and others to apologise with the people of Sindh.**

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Re: Sindhis also victims of recent violence

I had thought Elahi and gang were better than the rest of the punjabi establishment, but I guess not. Time for Mush to dump them. They are not of much use anymore anyway.

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Re: Sindhis also victims of recent violence

Yep! and he's not as smart as i thought he was, or else he wouldn't have chosen reputed thugs as his coalition.

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Re: Sindhis also victims of recent violence

He can only choose from what Punjab offers him. He has to placate them to do some of his reforms. Results have been so-so.

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Re: Sindhis also victims of recent violence

lol its funny how mqm supporters found their long lost love for the dictator and his army after may 2007....

suddenly 'save pakistan from mollahs and army' changed to just mollahs, after someone realized where the mqm paychecks are coming from.

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Re: Sindhis also victims of recent violence

By our correspondent

LAHORE: The Q-League is adding fuel to the fire by provoking Sindhis to fury at this critical juncture whereas its plan to rig the elections could harm the federation, said former premier and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Quaid Nawaz Sharif on Monday.

Talking to media-persons at the conclusion of the party’s Central Working Committee meeting, he said the country couldn’t afford President Musharraf any more and the only solution to the crisis was his immediate resignation and formation of a national consensus government to hold transparent elections.

The meeting condemned the killing of PPP leader Benazir Bhutto and also passed a resolution demanding Musharraf should resign immediately. PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif, Chairman Raja Zafar-ul-Haq, Secretary-General Iqbal Zafar Jhgara and Information Secretary Ahsen Iqbal were also present.

Nawaz said the PML-Q had a comprehensive plan to rig the polls and warned any controversial elections would be disastrous for the federation and lead the country to anarchy. When asked why the PML-N was participating in the polls which it apprehended were going to be rigged, he said the party knew it but they didn’t want to strengthen Musharraf. He said they wanted polls to be held on Feb 18 and that too minus Musharraf. He said the PML-N’s election campaign would be launched after some days.

He said President Musharraf’s policies had brought Pakistan to the verge of disaster and the disorder in the country was a proof of the failure of his eight-year-long rule. Nawaz said there was a record price-hike in the country which is facing various crises, including power crisis, food crisis, water crisis etc. “The flour crisis is yet another proof of the failure of the Musharraf regime with Atta selling at Rs 30 per kilogram,” said Nawaz.

He alleged that the Musharraf regime had allowed the wheat export at $200 a tonne and then after a few months imported it at $400 a tonne costing the nation millions of dollars. “The government’s Atta mafia, which was behind the sugar crisis and stock market scam, has again pocketed billions of rupees by depriving poor Pakistanis of a loaf of bread,” said the PML-N chief.

Quoting the State Bank’s recent report, he said all economic indicators were showing a declining trend with alarming increase in domestic and foreign debt of over Rs 1,400 billion. He said Rs 100 billion loans had been written off to benefit the Chaudhrys and their close aides.

Nawaz said Musharraf had turned a strong state like Pakistan into a ‘one-man state’ by systematically destroying all national institutions and pursuing a policy of eliminating his opponents. He said the ruthless actions like killings of PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto and Akbar Bugti had plunged the federation into a serious crisis.

At this critical hour, he said, the Musharraf backed Q-League leadership was playing anti-national politics with serious negative consequences for the federation of Pakistan. “Musharraf must immediately step down and the acting president must invite all opposition parties for consultation to form a national unity government,” Nawaz demanded.

Blaming President Musharraf and his caretaker government for having planned to rig the polls, he said thousands of postal ballots were being distributed in various constituencies. He said government funds were being used to distribute free flour and initiate development schemes on recommendation of Q-League candidates.

Nawaz said the PML-N wouldn’t allow foreign forces to use the Pakistani territory. About the country’s nuclear programme, he said the nation knew how to safeguard its nuclear assets, adding Pakistan’s nuclear programme was of defensive nature for which the nation had paid a great price.

Nawaz said his party was still firm in its resolve to have pre-Nov 3 judiciary restored. About the probe into Benazir Bhutto’s assassination, he said the PML-N leader said the hints given by Benazir Bhutto herself before her murder should be taken into consideration.

To a question about the working relationship and adjustment with the PPP, he said so far there was nothing such as adjustment with the PPP and added both the parties did have differences but the national interest was supreme. Earlier, the meeting offered Fateha for Benazir Bhutto and the workers of PPP and PML-N who lost their lives in Rawalpindi.

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Re: Sindhis also victims of recent violence

The same way he chose the biggest thug in the history of Pakistan.....Altaf Hussain....he could only choose from what mohajirs offered him....results have been disastrous...remember 12th May...

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Re: Sindhis also victims of recent violence

Spock, please provide the link

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Re: Sindhis also victims of recent violence

very true :k:

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Re: Sindhis also victims of recent violence

MQM joined govnt after 2001 due the new change in global politics bought upon by 9/11. Some keep forgetting this little fact so conveniently.

And most of the articles posted here do not talk of the REAL events that have transpired in Sindh but of what some Q chaudries are saying or not saying. Just look up international media, at least they are not blind unlike the pakistani establishment’s “main na manoon” group.

Fact is that Sindhis have been a victim of Punjabi establishment for 60 years and going. You can’t hide the truth anymore, the international media has now also caught up to it. If America offers them a Kurdistan like autonomous setup, they will jump at the opportunity and Punjab will lose it’s cheap sea port access.

Notice this article for one and look at the slideshow and see the victims first hand.
http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB119974719357173263-lMyQjAxMDE4OTA5ODcwNDg3Wj.html

Link to slideshow: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119972263973472325.html?mod=world_news_promo

Some captions: "The worst of the violence broke out Ms. Bhutto’s native Sindh, a province of 38 million people that includes Karachi, Pakistan’s financial and industrial hub, and the city of Hyderabad. Rioters torched hundreds of government offices, police outposts, railways stations and banks.

At left, a Pashtun driver stands by his burned vehicle in the Sindhi city of Hyderabad."

"Mobs targeted with particular vigor the trucks on Sindhi highways, aware that hardly any of Pakistan’s truckers hail from this province. In Hyderabad, hundreds of carbonized vehicle wrecks, some still smoldering, lined roads in every direction for several days.

At left, Pashtun drivers stranded by their burned truck near Hyderabad."

"It’s now common to hear in Sindh that Ms. Bhutto had been targeted not because of her politics, but simply because she was a Sindhi. The question of Sindhi autonomy is likely to be one of the most burning and troublesome issues that will beset Pakistan in years to come.

At left, a Pashtun family by their burned truck at the entrance to Hyderabad."

"A project to build a dam on the Indus River that’s shared by Punjab and Sindh crystallizes resentment between the the provinces. The plan would divert Indus waters that now flow into Sindh to Punjabi agricultural areas.

Ghulam Murtada Shah, who tills 60 acres near Hyderabad, says the diversion of waters into Punjab has already made the canals leading into his farm go dry. At left, he stands by an empty pond on his farm.

“We Sindhis are treated like slaves here,” he says. “Benazir Bhutto was killed because she wanted equal rights for the Sindhi people. And now we have lost our hope.”