17th Chicago, IL 2001

(July 7th — 3 PM to 7 PM)
MODERATOR: Mr. Iqbal Tareen
PANELISTS: Najamuddin Shaikh, Nooruddin Sarki, Anwar Pirzado, Ms. Qamar Wahid, Memon Abdul Jabbar and Rasool Bux Palijo

Mr. NAJAMUDDIN SHAIKH, is a senior diplomat of Pakistan, who has been ambassador of Pakistan to Canada, Japan, and other countries. The topic of his presentation was Pakistan’s relations with USA and India. He very eloquently gave separate analysis of the factors that have played role in shaping the relations of Pakistan with USA and India. The fall of Soviet Union as the second super power has had a profound impact on the relationship of Pakistan with both USA and India. India, which used to be closer to Soviet Union, has now much improved relations with USA, where as Pakistan’s close religious and cultural relationships with Muslim states of central Asia have increased Pakistan’s strategic importance. The plans to construct oil pipeline from central Asia to Persian Gulf through Pakistan and construction of the proposed sea port in Persian Gulf will increase the influence of Pakistan in the region. In an answer to a question, Mr. Shaikh said that financial viability of Gawadar Seaport is highly dependent upon the construction of the oil pipeline from Central Asia. In reply to another question as to why so few Sindhis are employed in Pakistan’s foreign embassies and missions, he said that partly it is because most of the clerical positions are filled locally and partly because of the reluctance of rural Sindhis to work in foreign countries. He told the questioner that if he knew any suitable and qualified Sindhis who were interested to work at the clerical positions in foreign missions, he would gladly help them to secure jobs.

Mr. NOORUDDIN SARAKI, is a veteran Sindhi politician, who once headed the communist party of Sindh. He is an attorney by profession and is in the forefront in fight for economic and political rights of poor Sindhis. He has been active in Sindhi politics since his student days. He stated that the Pakistan was created on the premise that its provinces will enjoy autonomy in accordance of 1940 resolution. Sindh, which has been an independent nation for much of its history voted for Pakistan and not for India because the proponents of Pakistan promised autonomy to it but the proponents of united India would not make such promises. Look! what has happened now, the provinces in the country whose leaders did not promise autonomy enjoy more autonomy than the provinces in the country that was created for the very reason that its provinces will enjoy autonomy and sovereignty. He added the topography of Sindh has much changed since the pre partition days. Sindh’s larger cities now have significant non-Sindhi populations, who are reluctant to adopt Sindhi culture and Sindhi language. This has complicated matters for Sindhis, who must now work harder, intelligently and persistently to safeguard their existing rights and fight to win those rights that were promised in 1940 resolution.

ANWAR PIRZADO, is a distinguished journalist and writer from Sindh. He has been associated with leading newspapers of Pakistan including Dawn. He was once an officer in Pakistan Air Force, where he suffered a court marshal at the hands of rulers of Pakistan for writing a letter that talked about the plight of East Pakistanis (now Bangladeshis). His presentation gave a detailed account of politics and economics of water shortage for Sindhis. He talked about the history of water treaties and accords. He said that Punjab has consistently broken these treaties and accords to keep Sindhis subjugated to its domination. While Sindh’s crops remain decimated, Punjab’s production is at the record levels. On top of it, the government of Pakistan has forced Sindh, on occasions, to purchase Punjab” produce at highly inflated prices. He warned that Sindh, which once produced world’s best rice would probably cease to be a rice-producing region due to the water shortage. He demanded that if Sindh’s agriculture is to survive, the historic Sindh-Punjab Water accord of 1945 must be implemented.

Ms. QAMAR WAHID, is a professor at Sindh University and a very active Sindhi woman academician. She has struggled against the plight of Sindhis and particularly Sindhi women for much of her adult life. She talked about the terrible conditions in Sindh, where, each day, Sindhis are being pushed behind by the Federal government run by Punjabis and the provincial government dominated by Urdu speaking. Sindhis have more or less become an audience to their fate. They can see what is happening to them but cannot do anything to change the course of destruction that is being laid for their culture and language. Every non-Sindhi who arrives in Sindh feels that they own it and that Sindhis are rural and backward people who do not deserve to progress. The discrimination against Sindhis in jobs, scholarships, and other opportunities is so acute that one feels that Sindh has become an occupied territory of 18th century where the victor can plunge anything of the defeated people. She told the audience that they would be living in the dream world if they think they are going to bring a change by sending few thousand dollars for charitable and educational projects. What is needed is concerted effort to unite Sindhis and an intense pressure on the government to make changes that will ensure the survival of Sindhis as a cultural nation.

Mr. MEMON ABDUL JABBAR, is a entrepreneur from Karachi and an activist who has taken on the challenge to help Sindhis to become more competitive and educated. He said that like rest of the world, Pakistan is a much changed place, where political struggle based on old tactics will not be successful. The situation is so much controlled that even when Sindhi politicians are elected to high positions, they cannot effectively help Sindhis. The time has come when educated Sindhis have to go beyond flowery speeches and drawing room politics and start helping their Sindhi brothers and sisters to improve their skills and education. The affluent Sindhis of North America should work closely will universities and other educational institutions in Sindh to bring about a basic change, where rural Sindhis are able to resist Sindhi and non-Sindhi tyrants.

Mr. RASOOL BUX PALIJO, is the head of Awami Tahreek, which is one of the major political parties in Sindh. Mr. Palijo has resisted each and every tyrant who has attempted to hurt the political and economic rights of Sindhis. During the recent artificially created water shortage, he and his party started a mass movement that is now joined by other Sindhi groups. True to his reputation, his was the most eloquent speech that covered many aspects of the plight of Sindh and Sindhis. He touched every nerve and every soul in the conference hall with his references to world history and analogies from world battles. He urged every educated Sindhi to read more – learn more about world history, freedom struggles, and particularly the military and political strategies. You don’t need every Sindhi to be educated to bring about a change. What you need is smart leaders and smart middle class who can predict and understand each move of adversary and quickly make a counter move and take an offensive move, when appropriate. He added that he was quite hopeful in the ability of Sindhis to withstand all onslaughts and ultimately come out victorious. Let! there be no doubt that these Sindhi Sapoots and followers of Shah Abdul Latif will never give up on their rights. They will not vanish in the history. They will resist and fight until they are victorious. By this time every one in the audience so attentive that other than his words, there was no other sound. Even the Sindhi infants, who never seem to stop crying, seem to have been taken aback by what was happening around them. Most in the audience were impressed with Mr. Palijo’s analysis and articulation of Sindhi issues, his hopes and his encouragement that Sindh is worth living for and Sindh is worth dying for. As he finished his speech, almost all of the audience arose, giving a memorable standing ovation, a rare occurrence in SANA conventions, to one their aging sons who had really moved them today.Although no one really wanted to end the session, time constraints forced it to close it after only 3-4 questions. Many will remember this session where people of diverse yet converging views helped to clarify issues surrounding the plight of Sindhis and made suggestions to help overcome it.

ANNUAL BANQUET DINNER AND SINDHI SHAM (July 7th – 8:00 PM to 2 AM)After a 5-course dinner buffet attended by almost all registered participated in a huge banquet hall, a wonderful program that starred Ustad Mazhar Hussain and Ms Shirazi took place. It was an evening of many memorable songs, delicious music, and recognition. Students who had performed well in their schools by securing at least 3.5 grade point average were awarded certificates and small prizes. Dr. Gul Agha was recognized for arranging short internships for four Sindhi students of Mehran University to attend 2-month research programs at the University of Illinois. These four students were introduced and they spoke few words about their experiences. The biggest applause went to the organizers of this convention who had once again proven that when Sindhis take on a responsibility, no one could match them in the perfect execution. A resolution asked SANA Executive Council to approach all individual and groups of Sindhis who had left the fold of SANA once again join hands on the platform of SANA. For the next year’s convention, the audience voted for New York. Ustad Mazhar Hussain sang several old compositions and some of recent compositions that were enjoyed by every one. Although, not a native Sindhi speaker, Ms. Shirazi sang several Sindhi songs that hit very well with the audience. The evening finally ended with one of the largest Ho Jamalo on this side of Michigan Lake.

MEXICAN BRUNCH (hosted by Local Organization Committee)(July 8th – 9 AM to12 PM)The dreaded morning had so soon arrived when every one had to say good bye to each other. One could see groups of children exchanging their telephone numbers and e-mail addresses, ladies securing commitments from each other on attending next year’s SANA convention, and male folks were seen talking about the convention that was ending and the plans for the next year’s convention in New York. Although the brunch was delicious, people were not too happy that this grand event was ending so soon.

Indeed it was a grand event that we hope will become grander each year. cities be restored.

Convention Report by Iqbal Tareen

SANA’s 17th Annual Convention was a great bonding experience for all participants. It was a great opportunity to renew relations and make new friendships. It was an opportunity for removing distances and building bridges. It was a profound moment of Sindhyat, which has kept us together regardless of our ideological, political or religious preferences. It was an outstanding event, which will stay fresh in our memories for many years to come. In many ways, it became a benchmark in its own right. The large participation indicates a renewed interest in SANA’s positive role in the community and its moral stand on issues threatening the security of Sindhi nation.

On behalf of my family and many others we spoke during and after the convention, I congratulate Dr. Rafat & Mrs. Ansari, Dr. Ashfaq & Mrs. Turk, Dr. Aijaz & Mrs. Shaikh, Dr. Sattar & Mrs. Shaikh and our ever shining star Dr. Aijaz Turk and Mrs. Turk for organizing such a grand event. We are also thankful to SANA President, Sani Panhwar, SANA General Secretary Mohammed Ali Mahar, SANA VPs Zia Memon & Adi Zeb Agha, SANA Joint Secretary Sajjad Siddiqui, SANA Zonal Secretary Dr. Badar Shaikh and my very dear friend piyaro Shoukat Ansari for their leadership and hard work. Let me also thank all other EC, AC members and volunteers who devoted their valuable time and resources to make this a memorable event for all of us.

We can’t ignore the role of Internet and various Sindhi lists providing instant information on SANA convention. I must commend Dr. Mazhar Lakho and the previous EC who gave us SANALIST and SANA website. Due special efforts and interest of SANA President Sani Panhwar, we have now a highly informative and inclusive website (www.sanalist.org). I must also thank Dr. Nadeem Jamali and Dr. Saghir Shaikh for helping SANA in these e-media initiatives. These lists have generally reduced the distances between us, which are otherwise debilitating and deceptive. Although the freedom of speech can easily be stretched to become an assault on someone else’s freedom of thought. The privilege of exercising freedom goes hand-in-hand with the responsibility. Toying with freedom is always inherent in newly freed individuals and nations. Give it some time. The virtue of freedom and responsibility will soon become our greatest asset.

Our humble gratitude goes to chief guest Rasool Bux Palijo, keynote speaker Mr. Najamddin Shaikh and our guest speakers, Nooruddin Sarki, Anwar Pirzado, Dr. Qamar Wahid, Memon Abdul Jabbar and Mr. Aijaz Kerio for contributing their valuable thoughts and enlightening our community. We are indebted to gracious participation by WSC Chief Safdar Sarki and WSI Chief Sohail Ansari. Their full participation in this event sent out a clear message of unity amongst all Sindhis living in North America.

How could anyone ignore larger than life presence of Dr. Roshan Shaikh. His report and seminar on charitable initiatives generated an immense interest in the positively impacting social projects launched in Sindh. Dr. Gul Agha also very proudly introduced four bright engineers from Mehran University. These computer engineers were visiting USA on a special sponsorship by the University of IL at Champaign. This internship program was conceived by Dr. Agha to provide lifetime learning opportunity to young graduates of our universities.

The convention was uniquely blessed with an opportunity to discuss strategies about the future growth of SANA. This segment was honored with valuable suggestion of Dr. Ali Mohammed Ansari, former SANA President, Khalid Hashmani, Nooruddin Sarki, Dr. Roshan Shaikh, Dr. Qamar Wahid and others. A musical evening with Mazhar Hussain was an icing on the cake. Lack of interest by youth in SANA activities was not an exclusively and proprietary problem of this convention alone. It is a generic phenomenon with all overseas Desi organizations. We have been debating about this issue in SANA since 1987. In the past, we got away with a mere menu of children’s activities and expected full compliance. Yesterday’s infants have now become adults. They are aggressively asserting their autonomy. They are relating to different set of issues than ours. To us Sindh might be the number one issue to them it is not.

In an exclusive meeting with youth, we discovered the real reason behind their apathy. We wrongly assume that the Sindhi youth is one homogeneous group. Within our youth, there are various sub-groups divided by age groups and thus subscribing to different interests. We found that the Sindhi youth will not participate wholeheartedly on a structured plan prescribed by us. I recommend that we ask them to design their own program for the next convention in New York. I don’t think they want us to hold their hands. In many ways they are way smarter and confident than us to decide for themselves. We must try to provide what they request.

This convention adopted various resolutions in its general body meeting, which drew larger crowd than in the past. Although there was room for improvements, but the overall interest in genuine issues of Sindhi people and serious audience participation was highly assuring. The resolutions were presented and reasonably discussed. Proposed amendments were introduced, debated and passed. Dissents and abstentions were recognized and noted. All amendments were dully incorporated into the resolutions. Before releasing the resolutions to the press, they were submitted to those who had tabled the amendments and had moved new resolutions.

SANA’s 17th General Body Meeting adopted following Resolutions:
Resolution adopted by the General Body (GB) meeting of the Sindhi Association of North America (SANA) at 17th Annual Convention being held at Chicago, July 5-8, 2001

The participants of the General Body meeting of the Sindhi Association of North America (SANA) being held at Chicago, during Annual Convention, July 5-8, 2001 resolve that: