by: Gul Agha

The Pakistani press has no problem keeping the consulates in Karachi and Lahore. But now that the US is taking an interest in disbursing billions of dollars in education and development assistance funds directly to Sindhi areas, they are screaming against US consulate in Sindhi area, calling it “suspicious”. A consulate in Sakharu should a…lso help Sindhis get visas and improve cultural exchanges, as I have heard that the Pakistani staff in the cities is sometimes hostile and biased against their cases. For Sindhis, it would be a very welcome move to have a consulate in Sakharu, and it will help the US understand the Sindhi perspective, thus improving relations with U.S.

Courtesy: Gul Agha and Sindhi e-lists.

==========

Suspicious activities of US diplomatic staff causing concern amongst people in Sindh

KARACHI: The suspicious activities of diplomatic staff of the US embassy in the interior areas of Sindh are continuing, causing a serious concern amongst the masses. The nationalist parties of Sindh have also been taken into confidence with regard to construction of a US Consulate in Sukkur. According to details, the US Consul General Stephen G. Jackson along with 4-member delegation arrived in Sukkur from Karachi and started visit of the nearby areas. Strict security measures had been taken around the circuit house of Sukkur after arrival of the US diplomatic staff. The entry of unauthorized persons has been banned in the Circuit house. Sources informed Online that the US diplomatic staff during their stay in Sukkur would visit Shah Abdul Latif University and Sadh Bela area of Sukkur. Earlier, a team of the US embassy visited interior area of Sindh including Ghokti, Shikarpur, Larkana, Khairpur and areas situated adjacent to Sindh-Balochistan and took photos of different sensitive installations, sources added. The US authorities are also in touch with nationalist leaders of Sindh for protection of their supply line because they have intention to construct US consulate in Sukkur, sources said, adding that, US consulate would be used for monitoring and assistance of the US air base at Shahbaz airbase.—Online

Deteriorating Sindh: PPP regime and our role

by: Zulfiqar Halepoto, Hyderabad, Sindh

I am writing these lines with great disappointment and anger on the state of affairs in Sindh in all sectors of governance and the conduct of present regime and especially the performance of PPP.

I have visited 18 districts of Sindh for a district level consultation to hear the voices of the people on six  issues education, health, food (agriculture, water and environment), housing, and natural resource management). This is an initiative of an international NGO.

In the 1st phase I started my journey from Karachi, Thatta, Mithi, Umerkot, Mirpurkhas, Hyderabad, Jamshoro, Dadu, Larkana, Qambar-Shahdatkot, Sukkur and now meeting people in Khairpur.

Though I am a very optimistic person but I have witnessed a great level of decline in Sindhi society in the following terms. This trip of mine in boiling heat and scratchy sun with 50+ temperatures was a trip of total frustration and regret in the following terms:

People are disillusioned and are still in shock of Benazir Bhutto’s assassination.

People are totally frustrated over the state of affairs of Sindh government and its so-called policy of reconciliation and alliance with MQM and the dying anti-people and anti-PPP feudal, which tried to destroy Sindhi society and joined Musharraf to divide Sindh.

Deteriorating law and order situation, Jirga system, honor killing, unemployment, poverty, hunger, tribal feuds, decline in social services delivery and massive deterioration in infra-structure is the order of the day in Sindh under this so-called PRO PEOPLE REGIME.

People are angry on massive corruptions, nepotism, favoritism, killing on merit and other authoritarian and un0ethival acts of the entire PPP Sindh based leadership.

Not a single minister or legislators from Sindh is clean in these areas of preferential treatment. Everyone is just blind and ruining the social cohesiveness of Sindhi society.

There is a great crisis of leadership in PPP and everyone is operating through its own cronies and favorites from presidency to CM house and to speaker house Badin. Everyone is treating Sindh as their PURCHASED SLAVE.

· And especially those who were very active against Musharraf regime and stood shoulder to shoulder with civil society in the struggle of giving a new face of democratic values, plural socio-economic and moral coherent but on the contrary the society is declining fast to an anarchic society with no leadership.

· On the other hand the major policy level issues of Sindh like NFC, water distribution conflict with Punjab, dams’ construction, ownership of Karachi, issue of influx of Swat immigrants are washed away by the present regime. On the contrary PPP again is fighting the proxy war of military establishment and throwing peoples development agenda away from their priority.

· Almost two years are gone only in exercise to transfers and postings of their favorites and cronies. Every legislator and minister from Sindh (in both Sindh and federal cabinet) are every day fighting over these tinny issues, killing merit and pushing Sindhi society towards a society of stone-age.

· The days of Mr. 10% are gone, Due to price hike and financial crisis 10% is not a decent amount for them to cater their needs and now at least 30 to 40% commissioned is the order of the day.

· Young, dynamic and brilliant youth of Sindh every day travel miles and miles to go to appear in the entry tests of various exams of different projects but next day a list of favorites comes from CM house and other influential for the replacement of meritorious people and youth is getting deprived of their rights.

· Education department is the worst example of bad governance in Sindh. Other departments are also competing education department to win the race. In almost all the districts, the present education department managers including the minister were called a DISASTOR.

Now my question to all and to myself is that…Are we still going to support them… I believe and confess that Sindhi middle class and especially the writers, intellectuals and technocrats and even mediocre like me don’t want to discontinue their social relations with these civilized feudal of PPP.

Sindh is going fast of the hands of Sindhis… now who us going to save our motherland…,People will not come from the sky…it is you and me to change or at least play our role.

Sindh is dying in hunger, poverty, unemployment and lake of justice in all fields. It is time to wake up and stand up.

—

Source- The above article of Zulfiqar Halepoto has published at several Sindhi lists.

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News reproduced from Dawn Newspaper.

By M.B. Kalhoro
Thursday, 19 Mar, 2009

LARKANA, March 18: Lack of facility for carrying out polymer chain reaction (PCR) test for hepatitis B, C and Delta virus diseases at the Chandka Medical College Hospital (CMCH) delays confirmation and treatment of the disease and thus puts patient’s life in grave danger.The patients’ blood samples had to be sent to Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences Jamshoro and the test cost Rs1,800 while private laboratories charged Rs3,000 to 5,000 per test, said Dr Ghulam Shabir Shaikh, in-charge of the central laboratory at the CMCH.

At present, the PCR facility was available only at the Liaquat University Hospital in Jamshoro and Civil Hospital Karachi, sources said.

The Sindh government plans to provide PCR facility at the CMCH, Sukkur and Mirpurkhas civil hospitals, the sources said.

The deputy secretary of health (monitoring and inspection) Sindh, Dr Insaf Magsi, said that the government had completed formalities and placed orders for supply of instruments for PCR tests.
The machines would arrive within a couple of months and installed in Larkana, Hyderabad, Sukkur and Mirpurkhas, he claimed.
Dr Farooque Rehman Soomro, former focal person, disclosed that the highest concentration of hepatitis B, C and Delta Virus in the province was found in Qambar-Shahdakdot, Larkana, Dadu and Jacobabad districts and the situation demanded extraordinary measures to fight the deadly disease.

Sending only 30 cases a month to LUMHS for PCR test would not do any good as the number of hepatitis cases continued to swell, said Dr Shabir Shaikh.

Additional Medical Superintendent of CMCH Dr Dost Mohammed Shaikh who is also focal person of Chief Minister’s Program for Hepatitis Control, said that at least 100 cases per month should be referred to the LUMHS to overcome the problem.

He said that so far only 250 cases of hepatitis B and C had been registered at the CMCH and of them only 200 were receiving the treatment.

But the hospital’s store in-charge disputed the figures given by Dr Dost Mohammad, saying the number of registered cases was 217 and of them 169 were hepatitis C, 37 hepatitis B and 11 Delta virus.

He said the store had received only 11,991 vials sufficient for treating 166 patients while the number of registered cases was 217. There was shortage of medicines to treat all the patients under the Chief Minister’s Program, he said.
He said that the government should provide at least 10,000 more vials to meet the demand.

About treatment to prisoners in the central prison and special women’s prison, Dr Dost Mohammed and Dr Ghulam Shabir said that only 38 prisoners were being treated.

Teams from CMCH had carried out blood screening of 512 prisoners for hepatitis B and C under the orders of Sindh High Court, PCR of 86 was conducted and 44 were found positive, said deputy superintendent of central prison Aurangzeb Kango.

Of them 38 were receiving treatment from CMCH, he said.

The district and session judge of Larkana at a meeting held in February this year had asked the jail superintendent to get all prisoners screened immediately but the hospital had not yet received the request, Dr Dost Mohammed said.
The delay in screening would let the disease progress to terminal level and if left untreated would put the prisoners’ life at stake, he said.

Only 512 of a total of 1,324 prisoners had been screened so far, according to jail officials.

The sources said that during a recent visit of Sindh Health Minister Dr Saghir Ahmed, CMCH officials had demanded increase in number of per day PCR tests from 30 to 100.

The health department has allowed each district to carry out only 30 tests a month whereas the disease continued to spread to alarming proportions, sources in the health department said.

Pakistan Railways has decided to construct 12 commercial complexes in parts of the country to overcome Rs54 billion losses. Spokesperson Shagufta Ansari of Pakistan Railways told ‘The News’ here Saturday that Minister for Railways Ghulam Ahmed Bilour is serious to cover the losses of railways for which he has decided to build 12 commercial complexes in various cities including Rawalpindi, Lahore, Kot Lakhput, Karachi, Sukkur, Faisalabad, Sargodha, Multan, Peshawar and Khanewal. The complexes would have all kind of facilities like departmental stores, canteens, cafeterias, tuck shops, bookstalls and marketing centres like airports. The railway has invited the private entrepreneurs to join hands with it to implement the project. According to the plan, the railway would provide a sizeable portion of the stations to the private parties on lease for opening business centres by constructing complexes. The private parties would be paying fees of the land and business share to railway to enable it to cover the losses.

The minister also wanted to increase freight business. Under this plan incentives would be provided to businessmen. The delivery system of the goods would be improved to restore the confidence of the people particularly the traders, she said.

The railway that suffered huge losses due to destructions made by the angry mobs on the assassination of Benazir Bhutto is paying special attention on the purchase and revamping of locomotives

She said that some of the trains are running fast to the much satisfaction of the passengers. The trains running from Rawalpindi to Karachi are providing good services to the people.

www.pakistanhousing.pk

दिल जी ग्गाल्हि दिल में रही वयी
दुनिया जी वास्ते मजाक थी
जद_हिं कहिंखे चयी
ओ यार जद_हिं पहिंजी ग्गाल्हि
पहिन्जे दिल में न रखी सघिया से
ब्बियो कोय कीयं रखंदो
हीअ दुनिया लिकाए पहिन्जा हादसा
ब्बे जे दर्द ते खिलन्दी हमेशा अग्गिते वधन्दी वयी
———————————–
دِلَ جِي گگَال’هِ دِلَ مِيم̇ رَهِي ڤَيِي
دُنِيَا جِي ڤَاستِي مَجَاكَ تهِي
جَددَهِم̇ كَهِن̇كهِي كَيِي
ُو يَارَ جَددَهِم̇ پَهِن̄جِي گگَال’هِ
پَهِنجِي دِلَ مِيم̇ نَ رَكهِي سَگهِيَا سِي
ببِيُو كُويَ كِييَم̇ رَكهَندُو
هِي’َ دُنِيَا لِكَا’ِي پَهِنجَا هَادَسَا
ببِي جِي دَردَ تِي كهِلَندِي هَمِيسَ́ا َگگِتِي ڤَدهَندِي رَهِي
———————————-
dila jī ggāl’hi dila mēṁ rahī vayī
duniyā jī vāstē majāka thī
jaddahiṁ kahiṅkhē cayī
ō yāra jaddahiṁ pahin̄jī ggāl’hi
pahinjē dila mēṁ na rakhī saghiyā sē
bbiyō kōya kīyaṁ rakhandō
hī’a duniyā likā’ē pahinjā hādasā
bbē jē darda tē khilandī hamēśā aggitē vadhandī rahī
—————————————-

by Mohammad Ali Mahar, Austin, TX, USA

The writer can be reached at mamahar@hotmail.com
I visited Sindh in September/ October, 2008. To get to my home from the airport, I had to take the kachcho side road, for the main highway connecting Sukkur to Shikarpur was completely unfit for cars. If one needed to drive to somewhere, if at all, one had to drive in the 2nd. gear for miles and miles.

Now, the neighborhood in Sukkur where my humble abode is situated, is blessed to house his eminence Syed Khursheed Shah as well as many other power weilders in the current set up.

I asked my brother if Saaeen Khursheed Shah used some other way to get to his home. No, said my brother. That was the only road connecting Sukkur city, our neighborhood, the airport and Shikarpur. So, everyone took the same road.

Surprised, I asked , “But isn’t Saaeen Khursheed Shah a minister in the government?”
“He is. But he is in the government only a few months”, said my brother apologetically, “Give him a few days, they will fix everything, at least this road.”

I concurred.

I spoke with my brother a week or so ago. I asked him if there was any improvement in the condition of the road now that Saaeen was in the power for more than a year.

“Yes, a lot, actually”, said my brother, “last time you were here, we drove you around in the 2nd. gear. If you come to Sukkur today, we’ll drive you home from the airport in the 1st. gear.

Turns out that all the construction contracts in Sukkur go to Saaeen’s frontmen. And, why not? Charity begins at home after all. To bring more prosperity to Sukkur, Saaeen has even got his retired brother re-appointed as the Director General, Highways!

Who says things never improve in Sindh. Go see the new crop of palatial bungalows in the modern housing societies in Sukkur, Hyderabad, and Karachi.

Residential Real Estate Properties

For Further Details Please Visit www.pakistanhousing.pk

Letter to Editor
- Rahmat Ali, Worker of Taluka Pano Akil, District Sukkur Sindh
The writer can be reached at: rahmatmalik@yahoo.com
It is informed that I visited a village with my friends. The village’s name is “That” Mullali U.C-43 Taluka Pano Akil District Sukkur Sindh. There was a big structure of school but it wasn’t working/ functioning. It also didn’t have a single teacher for providing education to the children’ of the above village. When we asked Mr. Jeedan & Mr. Gumtar, the villagers, they informed us that the teachers are posted by the Government but no teacher is coming/providing education services to their children for a long period of time. It is a high negligence by Sindh Education Department with the villagers as well as their children. Therefore, I request to the high-ups of education department to take necessary action against the posted teacher and their heads that are not coming when they are supposed to be. I hope the Sindh Education Department will give an urgent attention to this matter.

by Altaf Hussain Qureshi, Hyderabad.
11th January 2009

Sukkur, the third largest City of Sindh , because of its excellent geographical location, was considered to be one of the most prosperous, culturally, socially as well as economically, not only after independence but even prior to that. Unfortunately for some time this once beautiful city has been completely ignored by the very people who are made in charge of its civic affairs. As a result its entire roads and lanes are in complete shambles; sewerage gutters are flowing into the houses of low-lying areas where most the poor and middle class people live and multistoreyed buildings have mushroomed with so much of speed with the active blessing of its Nazim that even pedestrians find it difficult to cross streets. One such building which was built few months back has collapsed due to substandard material used in the construction. This horrible incident has taken many innocent lives…

Of all the miseries, although Sukkur is located on the bank River Indus yet its residents have no potable water available, therefore they are forced to drink unhygienic water resulting in spread of hepatitis C.

I also urged the provincial government, if it is really interested in the well-being of the people of Sukkur to please hold impartial audit of the funds allocated to city. But of course there should not be party politics involved so far audit of the funds is concerned.
The writer can be reached at: kaviabqazi@hotmail.com

SUKKAR: At least six people were killed and scores were severely injured when a multi-storied plaza collapsed here on Wednesday late night, ARY OneWorld reported.

According to details a five storied building present at Hussani Road collapsed, in which at least six people were killed and 17 were injured, scores were still trapped inside the collapsed building, the reason of the collapse were not yet known.

Engineer Core of Army has been called for rescue works after which army jawans cordon off the area and started assisting people involved in rescue works.

Earlier just after collapse people started rescue works on their own, sources said that proper arrangement reached at the seen after some time but still was not taking part in rescue operation as using of heavy machinery might killed people who were alive and trapped inside the rubble.

Meanwhile Rehman Malik directed the concerned authorities and Rangers to act and provide full support in rescue works while Altaf Hussain Leader of MQM also directed City Nazim Karachi, Mustafa Kamal to provide support and also to move heavy machinery for rescue works.Chief Minister Sindh Syed Qaim Ali Shah, taking the strict notice of the incident, has called for probe in the Sukkur disaster.

Owing to building collapse high tension wires were also broke down after which power supply to the vicinity cut off, which adding up in the problem for rescue works.

District Nazim Sukkur Syed Nasir Hussain Sherazi said that rescuing trapped people under rubble is top priority and vowed to bring the culprits to justice at any cost.

Sources said that building was constructed recently and according builder Aziz Memon, building was constructed abiding all the rules and regulation of building construction and was not able to understand how the building collapsed.

While resident said that Permission was given to build only four floors of the building to its owner nevertheless, the fifth floor was built without permission, adding the owner was warned several times against its susceptibility and delicateness as sub-standard material was also used in its construction.(Last Updated: 08:10 AM)Wednesday December 24 , 2008

Source of  News

Five people including three hindus kidnapped by dacoits at Lakhi Ghulam Shah near Sukkur.

According to Daily Kawish,  residents of Jacobabad Parkasha Lal s/o Gurdas mal, Vicky Kumar s/o Raj Kumar, Vicky Kumar s/o Jawahar Lal, Abdul Rehman and Nadeem Ahmed kidnapped  by dacoits at Lakhi Ghulam Shah near Sukkur on 3^rd June 2008 when they were going from Sukkur to Jacobabad by taxi.

These all kidnapped people belongs poor families in Jacobabad and they are movie makers by profession.

Update:

These all kidnapped boys released after one month and five days, they paid ransom of four lacs to dacoits and this deal was held with the help of local police.

Nationalists block highway near Sindh-Punjab border

Courtesy: daily dawn, Monday, 08 Jun, 2009

SUKKUR: Hundreds of workers of nationalist parties held a demonstration and a sit-in on the National Highway at Kamoon Shaheed on the Sindh-Punjab border near Ubauro on Sunday in protest against large-scale influx of internally displaced persons (IDPs) into Sindh.

The activists belonging to Jeay Sindh Mahaz-Chandio, Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz-Basheer, Sindh Taraqqi Pasand Party, Sindh National Front and Sindh Hari Committee shouted slogans, condemning the government.

Vehicular traffic between Sindh and Punjab came to a stop and hundreds of vehicles were stranded on both sides of the highway for three hours due to sit-in. JSM-C chairman Riaz Chandio, Abdul Fatah Samejo of STP, Zafar Korejo of SNF and Comrade Mandhal Shar of Sindh Hari Committee slammed the Sindh government for allowing IDPs to settle in Sindh.

They said that Sindh’s resources were already overstretched and under tremendous pressure due to settlement of non-Sindhis over the past 60 years and now the IDPs would further burden the resources.

They said that Sindhis were being treated like strangers in their own land and local youths were being denied jobs in multinational companies in Ghotki district.

Students from the interior of province were not allowed to seek admission to the universities and colleges in Karachi, they alleged.

They said that non-Sindhis had usurped natural resources of the province over the past 60 years but Sindh’s rulers had always been tight-lipped over the issue.

They urged Sindhis to launch a joint struggle for their rights, which had been denied to them for decades, and appealed to the leaders of nationalist parties to shun their differences and get united to fight for the rights. If they failed to do so, history would never forget them, they said.

They said that Sindhis would have to fight for their survival and rid the motherland of non-Sindhis.

A large number of policemen were deployed at the highway to prevent any untoward incident but the protestors remained peaceful throughout and dispersed after registering their protest.

Courtesy: daily dawn

Source – http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/provinces/13+nationalists+block+highway+near+sindh-punjab+border-za-08