After the establishment of provincial government in Sindh, like in other provinces in April 1972, and the passage of the interim constitution, Mumtaz Bhutto was made in charge minister (equivalent to chief minister). Some members moved a bill in Sindh Assembly titled “The Sind Teaching, Promotion and Use of Sindhi Language Bill, 1972” on July 3, 1972, which said:
“Whereas Article 267 of the Interim Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan provides that without prejudice to the status of national languages, provincial legislature may, by law, prescribe measures for teaching, promotion and the use of a provincial language in addition to a national language.”
The bill’s paragraph titled “Statement of objects and reasons” concludes with the sentence: “… This would naturally be without prejudice to the use of Urdu.”
The bill was passed by the Sindh Assembly on July 7, 1972, with 50 votes in a House of 62, assented by the Sindh Governor on July 16, 1972, making it an Act.
President Bhutto, who had returned from Simla where he had gone for negotiations with India for the return of over 93,000 POWs and occupied land, was taken aback when he got the news of the violence that had taken over the whole province. A newspaper from Karachi had displayed the news item as its first lead story covering the whole front page with a thick black rule all around on which in white it was repeatedly written Urdu ka janaza hai zara dhoom se nikle (It is the funeral of Urdu thus should be a flaunting one).
As the newspaper reached the hands of readers, miscreants played with the emotions of the people, attacked every house they wished, torched transport vehicles and killed innocent people wherever they could. Karachi being the biggest city saw great loss but worst hit were Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Nawabshah, Larkana, Sukkur where bloodthirsty elements hacked those people who were in search of shelter. It became so ghastly that a large number of people had to shift to other places for safety, and whosoever did not have any shelter had to stay at railway stations — in sheer fear and disgust. Saner elements were calling for peace, but everybody seemed helpless to stop the violence. It appeared that the government was unable to bring back normality. No political leader could gather enough courage to restore peace. All the lessons of brotherhood and fraternity were torn apart.
In Hyderabad and other towns army assistance was sought; curfew was clamped but whenever it was relaxed anarchy returned. Arsonists, looters and barbarians would turn their eyes on innocent people without any mercy. For many days it appeared as if the people were held hostage at the hands of a handful of killers and looters. Even the outstation bus passengers were not spared. It was the most callous period one could witness. The birth of new towns of Qasimabad, Nasimnagar, Bhitaibad, Sajjadnagar in the suburbs of Hyderabad, and similar in Karachi is the outcome of that tragic violence.
