Sindh National Front
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Sindh National Front (S.N.F.) is a political party in the province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is currently led by Mr. Mumtaz Bhutto, the cousin of Mr. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, ex-Prime Minister of Pakistan, who was hanged by the regime of Zia-ul-Haq.
The main objective of the party is 'confederation', or a state where there is genuine provincial autonomy for each of the four provinces of Pakistan (Sindh, Punjab, the North-West Frontier Province and Baluchistan). The party desires to bring about the same kind of autonomy which is currently being enjoyed by the states in the United States and Canada, the provinces of India and Australia, and the cantons in Switzerland.
Sindh National Front believes that the 'provincial autonomy' which presently exists in Pakistan, provided in accordance with the Government of India Act of 1935, was actually meant for the provinces of colonial India and not for the provinces of a free and independent Pakistan. But after that in 1940 (Lahore resolution) was the main theme of Independent Pakistan. The Lahore Resolution is totally in favour of a Confederation.
No doubt, a strong Federal Centre helps to counter fissiparous and separatist tendencies, but it is also correct to say that a strong Centre does not necessarily mean a strong nation. The strong central government in the past have been responsible for a weaker rather a vulnerable Pakistan, because the larger province (Punjab) has always dominated decision-making and has suppressed the aspirations of the smaller provinces. By giving autonomy to the provinces, the people of each province can determine their future in a way which is consonant with their own desires and aspirations, and contribute to a stronger Pakistan.
