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On the sidelines of the 61st session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), Chairman of the Jeay Sindh Freedom Movement (JSFM), Sohail Abro has accused the Pakistani state of widespread human rights violations in Sindh and called on the United Nations to organise a referendum allowing Sindhis to determine their political future.
Abro alleged that Sindhi activists, students, and political workers have been subjected to enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and abductions. He claimed that hundreds of Sindhi students have gone missing over the past 15 years, stating that more than 350 students have disappeared during this period, and over 100 remain missing. Abro cited the cases of minors. The JSFM chairman also raised concerns about the forced conversion of Sindhi Hindu girls in Sindh. According to Abro, minority girls are often abducted and coerced into changing their religion, allegedly with the support of extremist clerics and local power structures. He further alleged that when these cases reach courts, the victims are frequently placed in shelter homes where, he claimed, they face pressure and abuse before declaring conversion. Abro also criticised Pakistan's use of blasphemy accusations, claiming that such charges are used to silence voices advocating for Sindhi rights. He referred to the case of Dr Shahnawaz Kumbhar, who he said was targeted after speaking about Sindhi identity and raising concerns about forced conversions, "We have raised our voice at the United Nations for the preservation of Sindh's 7,000-year-old cultural heritage", Abro stated. The Sindhi leader further alleged that Pakistani intelligence agencies, including the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Military Intelligence (MI), were involved in suppressing dissent in the province. He warned that religious extremism is spreading in Sindh and claimed that thousands of madrassas were contributing to what he described as the "Talibanisation" of youth. "We are not ready to live in Pakistan. We want a referendum in Sindh, and the United Nations should hold this referendum," he said. (ANI)
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