US: Sindh Foundation holds protest for human rights outside Pakistani Consulate in Chicago
Aug 01, 2024
Chicago [US], August 1 : The Sindhi Foundation organised a protest in front of the Pakistani Consulate in Chicago to demand rights for the Sindhi community in Pakistan, highlighting the plight of Hindu girl Priya Kumari, human rights abuse and alleged census manipulation.
At the forefront of the Sindhi Foundation's demands is the immediate release of Priya Kumari, a Sindhi Hindu minor, abducted three years ago in Sindh Province of Pakistan. Her continued captivity symbolises the broader issues faced by the Sindhi Hindu community.
The Foundation also drew attention to ongoing human rights abuses against Sindhis in Pakistan. According to the Sindhi Foundation, these abuses are state-sponsored, aiming to homogenise society in favour of Islam and the Urdu language. This has created increasingly difficult circumstances for Sindhi Hindus, leading to land occupation, enforced disappearances, and extrajudicial killings.
The Sindhi Foundation asserted that the crimes against Sindhi Hindus are part of a broader state-sponsored agenda in Pakistan. They claimed that the government's policies aim to marginalise non-Muslim communities and promote an Urdu-speaking Islamic identity.
The Sindhi Foundation has vowed to persist in their protest until their demands are met, including the safe return of Priya Kumari. They have called on international agencies to suspend aid to Pakistan until the human rights violations against Sindhis cease.
The protest in Chicago is part of a series of demonstrations by the Sindhi Foundation, aiming to raise awareness and garner international support for the Sindhi community's plight in Pakistan.