Sindh has been robbed literally due to the “Policy of Centralization” in the name of Islam and Pakistan

HEC’s devolution to provinces opposed

by Khalid Hashmani, McLean

In my opinion, the recent decision by the Pakistani Government to devolve HEC into provincial HECs is overdue and must be carried out. As a matter of fact, I recommend to Dr. Javaid Laghari to not only support this decision but also help to ensure that it is implemented fully and that he should assume the role of Sindh HEC and make it one the best educational institutions in Pakistan and in the world as he did with ZABIST.

I do not know of any federal-level powerful higher education authorities in any federal state in the world as we have in Pakistan. Using the name of Islam and Pakistan, the establishment of Pakistan has been imposing unnecessary and inefficient centralization on the provinces/ States/ Republics. The tool of “centralization” has been used to discriminate and exploit smaller provinces and usurp resources of Sindh and Balochistan for the benefit of other provinces. Neither Canada has a federal HEC nor USA and other democratic and federal countries have created such institutions. In other countries where a federal-level commissions exist, their role is very limited and constrained to advise on standards.

The reason that Sindh’s Education Ministry is inefficient has no relevance whether or not Pakistan’s HEC should be devolved. The federal Education Ministry and HEC both have history of discrimination against Sindhis and denying due share in educational opportunities in Pakistan. The same rational of inefficiency is given for centralized control of Sindh’s resource industries such as coal, oil, gas, and ports.

The fact that few Vice Chancellors and educationalists from Sindh do not support devolution of HEC is the same as some pro one-unit establishment organs gave when the people of Sindh, Balochistan, and Pakhtunkhwa demanded dissolution of one unit. Such pronouncement did not succeed then and they will not stop devolution of HEC and other federal agencies and departments returning them into their provincial jurisdictions.

As a highly super centralized state, Pakistan is increasingly failing and is now considered one of worse countries on most human development factors. It is time that it’s setup is reorganized on the basis of the 1940 Resolutions, which is the fundamental principle for various provinces/ States/ Republics to join Pakistan.

Courtesy: Sindhi e-lists/ e-groups, March 27, 2011.

Development of Sindh: Shallow Promises

– Mushtaq Rajpar

PPP ruled Sindh government is about to present third budget of their tenure. Be ready for new promises, pledges and schemes. Are you interested listening and read all that? What did Sindh government achieved in the current outgoing fiscal year 2009-10?

People of Sindh want to know. Can Sindh government publish a Development Review or Economic Review and inform the public on state of economy, development and projects announced last year in the budget.

Rs 113 billion were allocated for development, including Rs 16 billion by federal government. How much actually has been achieved?

Newspapers report suggest development funds were not utilized more than 42%. This is height of negligence and ineptness of an elected government. Sindh continues to live in backwardness; people live under hard socio-economic conditions.

Budget 2009-10

· Rs. 113 development out lay included Rs 75 billion ADP: Where did this money go?

· The federal government was to be asked to settled the issue of Rs204 billion arrears of GST on services. Did they get arrears back?

· Rs. 2 billion were allocated for Thar Coal Development

Thar Coal Politics

Conflicting News about Thar Coal in Business Recorder – Thar Coal Politics

by: Khalid Hashmani, McLean, Virginia, USA

The politics surrounding the Thar Coal continues to confound Sindhis and other Pakistanis. Only two days ago (May 21), the newspaper Business Recorder, which is published from Karachi, said that the World Bank had withdrawn support for the Thar Coal project. Today, comes another story in the same newspaper saying that the World Bank will support the Thar Coal project. It seems that there is some manipulation going on once again in an attempt to gain control for the central government over this important asset of Sindh.

It must be noted that other than oil and gas, where Pakistani constitution requies shared control, Coal is exclusively under provincial jurisdiction.

SINDH COAL A SOURCE OF ENERGY

By Dr Ali AKbar Dhakan, Karachi, Sindh

The importance of coal has been tremendously realized in the present times of scant resources of energy throughout our country. The quality of coal found in Sindh is one of the best, and sindh is endowed with enormous potential of coal resources.Unfortunately, the coal has not been fully explored and exploited to meet energy requirements with the result that the Country is facing shortage of energy supplies.When Sindh is endowed with huge good quality lignite coal deposits suitable for electric power generation and other applications.It constitutes around 98% of total coal deposits of the country. Historically, coal has been used as a major source of energy since centuries.The industrial revolution and enhanced use of electricity was also due to coal.

Thar coal

ECONOMIC-AND- BUSINESS REVIEW – Thar coal: concerns of local community

By Zulfiqar Halepoto, Hyderabad, Sindh

Courtesy: Daily Dawn, Monday, 03 Aug, 2009

ON July 27, a three-member team of the World Bank experts on coal and mining visited Thar coal fields and met the representatives of civil society organisations and the local community. The team also visited village Thario Halepoto near Islamkot, Tharparker.

Thar coal-mining company – This has been done without the consent of the Sindh government

Thar coal-mining company

by DR ALI AKBAR M. DHAKAN, Karachi, Sindh

Courtesy: daily dawn 12.5.2009

AS reported in the press, the federal government, with the approval of the Planning Commission, has once again established the ‘Thar Coal-mining Company’. This has been done without the consent of the Sindh government.

Earlier when the federal cabinet decided to set up the ‘Thar Coal Authority’ by abolishing the Sindh Coal Authority (SCA), a statutory body, established through a notification, agitation started all over the province. The federal authorities thereafter had to relent by rescinding the orders.