Syed's nationalist movement in disarray but its romance lives on.

HYDERABAD -- A group of women, men and children is sitting at a hunger strikers' camp outside local press club, seeking recovery of their 'missing' family members. They may have different political affiliations but they have one thing in common.

They share the same political ideology of G.M. Syed and are yet another reminder of the fact that though Syed's nationalist struggle for Sindhudesh may have run out of steam its romance is still alive.

After the death of Syed, the nationalist struggle could not find leadership of his stature and thus his Jeay Sindh Mahaz soon split into several factions, which demonstrate a pretense of unity on Jan 17 every year in Sann, Jamshoro where Syed's followers gather to remember him on his birth anniversary. This year marks the 117th birth anniversary of G.M. Syed.

The leading lights of once popular struggle have either died, formed their own groups or opted for federalist politics within the framework of 1973 Constitution including Syed's grandson, Syed Jalal Mehmood Shah, a relative Shah Mohammad Shah (PML-N), Dr Dodo Maheri and Gul Mohammad Jakhrani (PPP), etc. Jalal heads his party - Sindh United Party (SUP).

Syed's Jeay Sindh Mahaz (JSM) has today split into multiple groups with separate entities albeit with common philosophy. G.M. Syed -- the mover of resolution for Pakistan's creation in Sindh Assembly -- founded the Mahaz on June 18, 1972, at his Hyder Manzil in Karachi after losing elections in 1970.

The Mahaz remained intact until 80s when Gul Mohammad Jakhrani, late Bashir Khan Qureshi, Niaz Kalani and Sattar Morio, who were student leaders, parted ways with the party after developing differences over mode of struggle, marking the first split in the movement.

Dr Qadir Magsi soon followed after having developed doubts over Syed's ideology and raising questions. 'Syed mostly remained incarcerated for his thoughts and late Abdul Wahid Arisar worked as JSM chairman. Whilst JSM was intact, Qureshi and Jakhrani founded Jeay Sindh Tehreek (JST) in 1989,' said Abdul Khaliq Junejo, chairman of his own faction of JSM.

'After Syed's death in April 1995 those who had left Syed created Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz (JSQM) on the chehlum of their ideologue in Sann. But we stayed out of JSQM's fold,' said Junejo.

He said that he took a position against criminal factor which he believed had damaged Syed's cause and therefore he wanted this question addressed first before deciding to merge with any other faction. A...