KARACHI: Author Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy on Sunday regretted that the state of human development in Sindh was exceedingly poor despite the fact that the province was once far richer than present-day Bangladesh.

He expressed these views while speaking at a day-long conference, organised by the Sindhi Association of North America (SANA), on the state of human development in Sindh at the Arts Council of Pakistan.

The inaugural session, moder-ated by Dr Waleed Sheikh, began with Shah Latif`s poetry rendered by Rahila Joyo followed by the launch of Shah Jo Risalo`s multilingual app developed by Raja Sand.

Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy, who was the keynote speaker for the opening session, said, `It`s a sad fact that the state of human development in Sindh is exceedingly poor. Water is stolen. Ghost schools are common.

Haris are forced into serfdom. There are private jails. And our laws allow that to happen.

He said, `There was a time when Sindh per capita was far richer than Bangladesh [former East Pakistan].

Now it is far poorer. We need to ask why. There is vibrancy in society over there that one doesn`t find here [in Sindh]. At one level it is because of those who rule this country. This was always true, from 1947 onwards, but the floods of 2022 make this clearer. Part of it was natural, parthuman-made.

Dr Hoodbhoy said, `Let`s look at how our political class reacted to that monster floods. Imran Khan at the time was holding great rallies in Punjab and in KP. He`d said, `I don`t` have time to raise funds or to visit Sindh. Then he had to change his mind because there was so much reaction against that. Shehbaz Sharif, Bilawal Bhutto, Murad Ali Shah and others would go on helicopter trips and each trip takes about Rs300,000 per hour. They`d go to one village, get a photo-op over there, go to the next village, and have another photo-op. It was completely meaningless.

He said, `Now let`s look what the situation is 18 months later. The infrastructure of half the schools in Sindh has still not been rebuilt.

There`s water that`s still standing in places. This is nothing new. If you remember, you will recall that in1970 a cyclone had hit East Pakistan.

This was the time when Yahya Khan was the President of Pakistan and Chief of the Army Staff. The government didn`t do much. Half a million people died in that disaster. That is why East Pakistan was so angry with us.

`Today, they take photo-ops, make helicopter trips and make their case in international conferences saying Pakistan is a victim of global warming [so] you must compensate us. They should compensate us. But get out of your land cruisers. Stop taking vacations to Dubai. Stop living in these mansions that you have. Here`s a country where the elite have captured power from the very early days of Pakistan, and they have never let go of it. Yes, the military has grabbed us by our necks. But it is also the political class and the whole structure of power thatexists in our villages, in our colleges, universities, in every institution in Pakistan... It`s that way of thinking that we must change,` he added.

Expanding on the argument, Dr Hoodbhoy emphasised the need for inculcating critical thinking in the youngergeneration.

In his welcome address, caretaker Information Minister Ahmed Shah, who is also the president of the Arts Council, lauded the moot`s subject and said he`s happy that SANA is working for Sindhi society.

`Youth is the only way forward.

Sindh`s youth is vibrant and IT (information technology) is important to learn. These days you can`t rely on public sector jobs because there`s so much competition. [Also], Sindhis have to work with other ethnic communities of the country,` he said.

Acting US Consul General Jimmy Mauldin said it`s for the third timethat he`s come to Pakistan and for a second time that he`s serving Sindh.

He said that one of the reasons for coming back to the country was the warm hospitality that he received here.

He also talked about Pak-US initiatives such as the Green Alliance to counter pressing environmental challenges.

He added he was inspired by the music and poetry that he got to listen to in the earlier part of the programme.

In his welcome note, SANA President Dr Maqbool Halepoto said Sindh is the land of Sufis. `We are all Sufis and Sufism is all about love. Love always unites us; hate divides us. The world has moved from agrarian to industrial to digital age. Why are we stuck with our cattle? These are the questions that need to be answered. It`s time for introspection.