2 The Sindhi Hindus, who formed 20% of Sindh population were a part of Sindhi nation and nationality. They spoke the same language, worked towards the progress of Sindh, passionately loved the soil of Sindh, were disciples and followers of Muslim saints and sufis like Bhitai, Sachal and Qalandar. The diversity of religion only made the Sindhi culture that much more variegated and beautiful.
3 Sindhi Hindus were a far superior and disciplined people boasting of outstanding writers, educationalists, playwrights, philanthropists, social workers and city planners.
4 Spread all over Sindh, schools, hospitals even drinking trouts for animals, bearing Hindu names are a testiment to the humane side of much maligned Hindus. The cities of Hyderabad, Sukkur and Karachi were a joy to be in for their immaculate planning, beauty and cleanliness. Sindh had never heard of adulteration of foodstuff or medicines.
5 Language is the sole, basic factor in the formation and enrichment of a culture. Thus ascendancy of Muhajirs, and subsequently of Urdu, in post partition Sindh coupled with a delibrate neglect of Sindhi language has greatly impoverished Sindhi culture and emaciated its language.
6 The treatment meted out to the langauge of those who welcomed their Muhajir brothers is succinctly narrated by Mr. Muhammad Ibrahim Joyo, a leading scholar of Sindh, in his paper entitled ``Society Under Dictatorship'' read in a seminar organized by Goethe Institute, Karachi in 1991. He spoke of the tragedy that follows:
``Two years after Karachi's separation (1948), Sindh University was shifted from Karachi, along with its name to Hyderabad to serve the camel cart and donkey cart culture of the natives of Sindh as Liaqat Ali Khan had chosen to characterize it earlier, during exchange of friendly pleasantries, I should believe, over the question of Karachi. And for men more equal than others in Karachi, an especial University, the Karachi University, was established with elite Urduist Vice Chancellor of the Sindh University transferred from there to take the University. With the passage of further five years, Sindhi, the language of `lesser' people of Pakistan, was eliminated as a language of examination from the University of Karachi, retaining for the purpose there only Urdu, Bengali, and English. Among a number of others, Hyder Bux Jatoi, President, Sindh Hari Committee, in his protest pamphlet in 1957 entitled, ``Shall Sindhi Language Stay in Karachi or Not?'', said, ... 'He (Mr. A. B. A. Haleem) continued as the Vice Chancellor of the Sindh University upto 1952 and left that office to join as the Vice Chancellor of the Karachi University. How Mr. Haleem treated Sindhis and their language is a long, sorry story... briefly stated, he showed his gratitude to Sindhis by doing everything possible in 8 years after Karachi's separation, suppres Sindhi by close Sindhi Schools, by reducing the posts of Sindhi teachers, by not providing Sindhi text books to the pupils, by appointing non-Sindhi teachers little conversant with Sindh or assess Sindhi papers etc., etc. This order of the Karachi University amounts to a call to the Sindhi students: ``Leave Karachi, Go to the interior if you want to retain Sindhi, Karachi is none of yours''! Out of the total population of about 15 lacs, about 5 lacs are the original inhabitants, whose mother language is Sindhi and they want to continue Sindhi and its script in schools and colleges (in Karachi), as is done in the rest of Sindh.. Our Bengali brother insists on all that Bengal and Bengali are entitled to, and he has got them substantially. He concedes to the next big brother, the Punjabi, the luxury (even) of One Unit. All this is nationalism (on their part) and is permissible and praiseworthy. But if the younger brother, Sindhi, demands the same rights, that is ``Provincialism'' and is reprehensible and punishable.'' (Society Under Dictatorship, by Joyo, M. Ibrahim, 1991 enclosed as Vol 4.10 in the document).
7 By an administrative measure of the Government of Sindh, towards social integration, Sindhi children from class three in schools in Sindh had to study Urdu as compulsory language and Urdu speaking children had similarly to study Sindhi, along with their respective mother tongues. The system worked very well till the General Officer Commanding (GOC), Hyderabad, an ill informed Brigadier of Ayubian Martial Law, later the Butcher of Bengal, passed an oral order through which this arrangement was undone and only Urdu remained compulsory subject in Sindhi medium schools.
8 Under the same Martial Law, a National Education Commission was set up in 1968 for re-structuring education system in Pakistan. The recommendation of the commission fell heavy on the mother tongue of Sindhi people. The commission's report in para 13 on pages 283 and 284, pontificated as follows: p ``The experience of other countries shows that where there are many languages, the best results could not be obtained. Where the education in mother tongue will be given upto 5th standard... but after class 5 national language would be adopted as the medium of teaching and the mother tongue will stop forthwith. We strongly recommend the above formula.''
9 Not only Urdu speaking people did not raise voice against these steps and criminally kept silent at the senseless emaciation of a language and a culture, but when finally a democratically elected legislative assembly of Sindh took the long ignored and just step by passing a bill reintroducing Sindhi as official language of Sindh, they went on a rampage of their now familiar killing and burning. Twelve people, all Sindhis, lost their lives, (A list of 12 Sindhis killed in 1972 enclosed as Vol 4.11 of document), innumerable vehicles and property including the Institute of Sindhology, containing cultural archives and rare manuscripts, were burnt.
10 Again the Urdu press and intelligentsia resorted to their now familiar method of first provocation and then justification. Rais Amrohvi's ``Urdu Ka Janaza Hay Barri Dhoom say nikely'' on the first page of daily Jang and black borders around the first page of most Urdu newspapers were delibrately designed to flare up emotions of Mohajirs. In the statement columns and articles subsequent to disturbances and murder of Sindhis, almost all opinion makers blamed the government criminally suppressing the Sindhi point of view that it was their land and their province where the Sindhi Language Bill was being introduced.
11 At present we form 70% of the province's population but the Pakistan Television Karachi station, gives on averate 20-25 minutes per day to Sindhi programs. The rest of the time, running into several hours, is given to Urdu and English. Same is the case with Radio Pakistan. Out of 15 hours of broadcasting time per day of Karachi station, hardly any time is given to Sindhi programs.
This maleficent treatment meted out to Sindhi language, education and culture, as a matter of course, and a willful apathy and arrogance towards Sindhis is not without economic reasons. The advertising revenue of both the TV and Radio runs in billions, that benefit thousands of Urdu families through jobs and remunerations.