HYDERABAD, May 27: A four-member ministerial committee formed by the prime minister on May 23 to investigate incidents of violence in Karachi over the controversial issue of Muhajir province met a number of people here on Sunday and expressed resolve to address the issue of missing persons in Sindh.

The committee met officials of public and private sector organisations, NGOs, academicians and a water expert at the residence of Sindh Democratic Forum leader Zulfikar Halepoto who presented a 14-point paper on Sindh’s issues.

However, none of the points referred to the issue of the controversial province.

Water expert Qazi Majeed talked about water shortage and said since Sindh government’s representatives did not have adequate knowledge of the Water Accord of 1991 they failed to plead the province’s case.

As a result, Punjab controlled distribution of water and Sindh growers received water after losing one third of their crop, he said.

Shafiq Moosvi who runs a private educational institution opposed establishment of a university in Hyderabad.

According to Ejaz Qureshi, a former university teacher, he was against the university because it was proposed to be set up in Latifabad where students of other parts of the city could not reach.

Federal Minister for Commerce Makhdoom Amin Fahim told journalists that they would meet all stakeholders in Sindh in a bid to ensure peace and harmony in the province. “We give our suggestions to the prime minister after hearing the viewpoints of various people,” he said.

He said the issue did not pertain to any political group, party or individual but it concerned Sindh. “It is our effort to normalise the situation and that’s why we are here,” he said.

Naveed Qamar said that whatever had happened in Karachi on May 22 and subsequently in Qazi Ahmed near Sakrand were matters of major concerns. “We think that the situation can blow up and we have to avert it….and defuse it as it can snowball into a bigger problem,” he said.

“The committee is seeking viewpoints of opinion-makers and leadership at various level…we will be meeting Sindh governor tomorrow morning,” he said.

Replying to a question he said that several points had been raised in their meetings and not all of them fell within the committee’s purview.

Makhdoom Fahim said that all people living in Sindh were Sindhis. “We don’t talk about a division along any lines,” he said.

It had been observed that various matters were raised to divert attention from core issues, he said.

About missing persons, he said that other institutions were seized of it. When journalists pressed the point with reference to Muzaffar Bhutto’s murder who had remained missing for 17 months before his body was found, Khurshid Shah replied that “it is very important issue….we will address it and we will look into its reasons”.

Things could happen, he continued, in reaction to this incident. “Look at Balochistan, where missing persons issue has taken a serious turn and, therefore, we will certainly look into it,” he added.

The SDF’s 14 points call for doing away with the decisions taken during the Musharraf regime, including bifurcation of Hyderabad district, allotment of land, sale of islands and appointment of the governor.

The points also raise the issue of delimitation of constituencies in Karachi and just distribution of resource under the NFC.

The federal government should avoid interfering in collection of GST on services by provinces; Water Accord 1991 be implemented and there shouldn’t be any upstream water reservoir on the Indus.

It said that Sindhi, Punjabi, Balochi and Pashto should also be treated as national languages. Serious efforts should be made for good governance, Sindhi should be promoted as medium of instruction in schools of Karachi; culprits of May 22 attack on rally be arrested and missing political activists be released.

Bashir Qureshi’s case should be handled to the satisfaction of his heirs and people of Sindh. Muzafar Bhutto’s death should be independently investigated.

Thar coal should be developed and right of Sindh on its resources should be recognised and Sindh Higher Education Commission on the pattern of HEC should be formed.