To:
Honorable Brad Sherman,
Member of the U.S. Congress,
Voice for Human Rights and Democracy
Cc:
International Human Rights Organizations
Dear Congressman Brad Sherman,
The oppressed peoples, political activists, intellectuals, writers, journalists, men and women of the region who raise their voice for human rights, consider you a great source of strength and hope for themselves. You have always raised your timely voice against violations of human rights for the historic nations imprisoned in Pakistan, including Sindh.
Your principled position and courageous statements against the ongoing political oppression and economic exploitation of the historic nations by the Pakistani state are felt by millions of oppressed people including the Sindhi nation—as a light of hope and encouragement, a candle in the deep darkness of oppression, tyranny, and state fascism, bringing life and new hope.
We, the national movement struggling for the freedom of Sindhudesh, wish to draw your attention to the fact that since the very first day of Pakistan’s creation, this unnatural state has continuously conspired under the deception of religion—against the existence of the imprisoned nations, their historic political freedoms, economic resources, demography, language, culture, and history.
The reality is that this unnatural state is in fact nothing but Punjabi imperialism, because Pakistan exists solely for the interests of the Punjabi colonial nation. Eighty percent of Pakistan’s army consists of Punjabis, and the historic nations including Sindhis have been subjected to the worst forms of slavery, political repression, and economic exploitation under this fascist state.
You will recall that in 1971, this unnatural state’s cruel, corrupt, and fascist army committed state aggression, terrorism, and barbarity against the Bengali nation massacring three million Bengalis and raping women. That same process of brutality continues today in Pakistan against the historic nations imprisoned within it Sindhis, Baloch, and Pashtuns.
The Punjabi army has occupied millions of acres of Sindh’s agricultural lands. Punjab is diverting Sindh’s river waters through canals and dams. In 1945, the then Government of Undivided India arranged an agreement between Sindh and Punjab, according to which the Rao Commission determined that 75% of the rights and share of the Indus River belong to Sindh. Today, in Pakistan, Punjab has occupied that water.
Sindh’s total mineral wealth and national resources have been seized by Punjab in the name of Pakistan’s so-called federation. Sindh’s demography is being altered; the Sindhi language is being erased; Sindh’s education is being destroyed. The secular political parties of Sindh, including JSMM, have been banned by the state.
The Pakistani state continues to patronize landlords, racists, and religious extremist terrorists. In Pakistan whether it is business, media, judiciary, or politics every sector is under military control. Under the name of “DHA”, the army has occupied valuable lands of Sindh’s cities. In every district, near mountains, rivers, and deserts, military camps and cantonments are being constructed, turning Sindh into a completely occupied and colonized land.
Against Sindh’s historic national unity, conspiracies are being carried out through racists.
We Sindhis owners of the great Indus Valley Civilization were once a free country. In 1843, the British army deceitfully occupied Sindh when it was an independent land. In principle, when the British withdrew from the subcontinent, they should have restored Sindh to its original independent status. But instead, they merged Sindh into Pakistan a dreadful conspiracy against our national existence.
Today, under the political philosophy and vision of G. M. Syed, we continue our struggle for the freedom of our homeland, Sindhudesh. We hold the principle that the Sindhi people are a historic nation and that Sindh has remained a free country for thousands of years, as even mentioned in the ancient book Rigveda.
We are exercising our right to national self-determination, a natural and internationally recognized right of all nations, and we are struggling for the independence of our homeland Sindhudesh.
Because of this struggle, hundreds of Sindhi political workers have been detained, disappeared, and imprisoned in ISI torture cells for 10 to 12 years. Among them are Ejaz Gaho, Suhail Raza Bhatti, Sarwich Sargani, Pathan Khan Zehrani, Darya Khan Rajper, Fateh Muhammad Khoso, Ayub Kandhro, Murtaza Junejo, Mohan Meghwar, Insaf Dayo, Mohsin Magsi, Hamid Rand, Gul Siyal, Yunus Chano, Ghani Aman Chandio, and Sarmad Mirani all detained in torture cells of Pakistan’s forces and agencies.
Among them, JSMM leaders Ejaz Gahu and Suhail Bhatti have been in ISI torture cells for over ten years. The families of these political workers have not known for years whether their sons are alive or buried in unknown graves.
Many mutilated bodies of Sindhi national activists have been thrown by ISI on roads and deserted places across Sindh. These include JSMM’s Central General Secretary Muzaffar Bhutto, Afzal Panhwar, Samieullah Kalhoro, Munir Khan Choliani, Raja Dahar Bhanbhro, Zulfiqar Kolachi, and many others.
JSMM’s Senior Vice Chairman Sarai Qurban Khahoor and Noorullah Tanyu (Rupalo Choliani) were publicly wounded and burned alive by the army before the villagers.
In addition, JSMM Central Committee members Haider Khoso, Fayyaz Dahri, Rahim Khoso, Shabbir Nohani, Ahmar Pirzado, Arbab Bhil, Imran Wahucho, Ranjhan Sandrani, and Allah Wadhayo Mehr, among others, have been imprisoned by the state.
Therefore, we the Sindhi nation and the national movement JSMM present before you the historic political case of Sindh: that the Pakistani state has turned Sindh into a colony, exploited its economy, burned political activists alive, delivered mutilated bodies, and kept activists imprisoned for more than ten years.
Activists like Ejaz Gahu have been disappeared into secret torture cells by intelligence agencies and tortured in inhuman ways. Their only “crime” is that they are political activists of Sindh who struggle for the freedom of Sindhudesh. For that reason, the state kills them, makes them disappear, or imprisons them.
Thus, on behalf of the Sindhi nation and the Sindhi national movement, we write this open letter to you to highlight how the Pakistani state enslaves the Sindhi nation, commits political repression and economic exploitation, and brutally tortures national movement activists. Hundreds of activists remain missing to this day.
We hope that, as always, you will raise your voice to save the lives of the hundreds of disappeared political activists of Sindh.
This open letter is addressed to Congressman Brad Sherman of the United States and to international human rights organizations,
Shafi Muhammad Burfat
Chairman
Jeay Sindh Muttahida Mahaz (JSMM)
(Sindhudesh National Movement)
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://voiceofsindhudesh.org
Darmstadt, Germany