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Only confederal system can save Pakistan: Mumtaz

Says country lacks leadership, good governance

By M. Zeeshan Azmat

Karachi

The country is drifting towards further break-up owing to the faulty system of governance; whether it is a civilian government or a military regime, the overall concentration of power in one person makes him no less than a dictator who expects his words to be followed by others without raising eyebrows, Sindh National Front (SNF) Chairman Sardar Mumtaz Ali Bhutto said on Wednesday during the Meet the Press Programme at the Karachi Press Club.

He condemned the non-compliance of rules and regulations between the federation and the provinces that was resulting in bad governance. “The latest example is military action in NWFP as well as in Balochistan, which is corroding the very base of Pakistan,” he said.

Mumtaz Bhutto especially mentioned the prevailing lawlessness in Balochistan, saying people there avoid carrying national flag or playing national anthem, while various Baloch leaders have openly declared that their province was no more a part of Pakistan.

“The situation in interior Sindh is not much different. People are afraid to go out of their homes after sunset as there is hardly any writ of the government there. Similarly, the urban areas are also plagued by lawlessness, where five or six killings every day are common,” he added.

The SNF chief said that Punjab was actually more powerful than the federal government and it had been proved on various occasions when it twisted arms to get whatever it (Punjab) wanted from the federation.

He mentioned the long march for the restoration of judiciary and current U-turn by President Zardari when he (Zardari) was told at Karachi that Punjab was stealing Sindh’s water and he (Zardari) assured that he would look into the matter. But his (Zardari’s) promise evaporated in air soon after the President reached Islamabad under intense pressure from Punjab, he said. He lamented that the country lacks good leadership essential to run a country successfully. 

Mumtaz Bhutto asked as to how a person who had several corruption and murder cases against him and who had served jail term became the President of the country. “It was the proverbial last straw on the back of the camel,” he commented.

He said that the only way to save the country was to make Pakistan a confederation, adding: “Pakistan’s eastern wing got separated in 1971 and same feelings were being nursed by the remaining provinces, so we must go for the confederation,” he stressed.

He said that when he had talked about the confederation some 25 years ago, he was expelled from the Pakistan People’s Party without assigning any reason and was sent to jail.

He said that provinces must be granted autonomy as per 1940 Resolution.

Talking about National Finance Commission (NFC), Mumtaz Bhutto said that it was a sheer injustice with Sindh, which has been contributing more than 76 per cent revenue but receiving only 20 per cent after the pooling. 

He also disapproved carving more provinces, saying, the situation could be rectified through good administration and good governance. He, however, said that SNF would support the movement of the people of Bahawalpur and the Seraiki belt for an independent province since they happen to be a separate nation and deserve a separate province.