Sharjeel Memon accuses MQM-P of fuelling linguistic divisions

KARACHI: Sharjeel Memon has accused the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) of fuelling linguistic divisions in Sindh, and Murtaza Wahab has warned against any fresh attempt to create such divisions, according to reports published Monday by The Nation and The News International.

The Nation reported that Memon leveled the accusation against the MQM-P, but the outlet's full text was not retrievable by Skardu Times. The News International, in a separate report, said Wahab warned against what it described as a new bid to create linguistic division in Sindh. Neither report carried the full remarks of the two leaders, and Skardu Times could not independently verify the statements.

No response from the MQM-P to Memon's accusation was included in the material available to this desk. The reports also did not specify where or when the statements were made.

Language has remained one of Sindh's most sensitive political fault lines. Urdu-speaking communities, concentrated in Karachi and other urban centres, have long demanded protections for their language and fair access to government jobs, while Sindhi-speaking groups have pushed for the primacy of Sindhi in the province. Political parties have frequently accused one another of using the language issue to gain electoral advantage.

The MQM-P draws much of its support from Urdu-speaking neighbourhoods of Karachi and Hyderabad, while the Pakistan Peoples Party, which leads the Sindh government, is strongest in the province's rural districts. The latest statements follow periods of tension over the use of Sindhi in government offices and disputes over language policy in education. The two outlets' headlines did not provide the context of the remarks.

Sindh has witnessed language-related confrontations in the past, including in the 1970s, and the issue remains live in provincial politics. Skardu Times will update this story as more details become available.