Pakistan: Sindhis struggle to preserve culture, heritage

Sindh [Pakistan], June 3 (ANI): Jeay Sindh Mahaz, a political party in Pakistan claimed that the digital population census in Sindh province is marginalizing the Sindhi community, Just Earth News reported.
On May 28, the issue of the digital population census in Sindh province, Pakistan, sparked widespread protests and marches.
Riaz Ali Chandio, the Chairman of JSM claimed that the census results were perceived as a bogus population count aimed at marginalizing the Sindhi community.
He further accused the ruling elite, particularly the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), of colluding with MuttahidaQaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) and Jamaat-e-Islami in perpetuating this alleged conspiracy to reduce the Sindhi population to a minority in their own homeland.
Chandio demanded that the results of the census 2023 should be annulled and all the illegal immigrants should return back to their country, according to Just Earth News.
He blamed Punjab for continuously violating the 1991 accord for the last 32 years.
Regarding the illegal immigrants, JSM Chief said that they are the ones who are involved in crimes and drug peddling.
The Afghan illegal immigrants are being settled in the Sindh cities of Karachi, Hyderabad and Thatta to occupy the province's coastal belt, he argued.
Earlier, as reported about a month back on April 29, 2023, the Chief Minister of Sindh, Syed Murad Ali Shah had said that the results of the digital census would not be acceptable to Sindh unless correct numbers of its population were reported.
Unfortunately, in a subtle way, PPP is trying to assimilate the non-Sindh people, residing in Sindh as domicile of the province. It would not be wrong to say that the attitude of PPP has been anti-Sindhi population, lately.
In March 2023, PPP, the ruling political party in Sindh, urged the relevant federal authorities to properly count illegal immigrants in the province in the upcoming digital census campaign in the country.PPP Sindh President, Senator Nisar Ahmed Khuhro demanded that the federal authorities should speed up the process of registering illegal immigrants in Sindh, reported Just Earth News.
He said that the checking mechanism in this connection should be made more stringent at the international and inter-provincial borders in the country. Khuhro suggested that a bona fide citizen of the country should be duly counted at the place of his or her current residence without going into detail about the permanent address.
The plight of the Sindhi people and their struggle for recognition and preservation of their distinct identity continues to be a pressing issue in the modern world. While the local Sindhi population continues to face immense challenges, their struggle for a distinct identity has garnered international attention.
However, speaking out against these injustices has become increasingly risky, with abduction, imprisonment, and torture of Sindhi nationalist leaders, activists, journalists, and students becoming all too common. Despite the prevailing atmosphere of fear and oppression, the indomitable spirit of the Sindhi community remains resolute in their desire to celebrate their unique identity that transcends religious boundaries, as per Just Earth News. (ANI)