United Nations intervention sought after deteriorating human rights situation in Pakistani province

The World Sindhi Congress (WSC), which represents the interest of the Sindhi People, has formally asked the United Nations to send a fact-finding team to Pakistan to investigate the ongoing human rights violations in Sindh province of Pakistan and to clear the way for formal United Nations intervention in the rapidly deteriorating human rights situation in Sindh.

Lakhu Luhana, the secretary general of London-based World Sindhi Congress said, "Sindhi people are currently facing the worst atrocities in their history. Enforced disappearances are occurring on an average of 10 persons per month, violence against religious minorities has reached unprecedented levels  - in last 2 months 13 underage girls from the most vulnerable Sindhi Hindu community have been abducted and forcibly converted".

He laid stress on an urgent visit of UN fact-finding mission to Sindh where the people are facing persecution in the hands of state agencies.

Lakhu Luhana added, “The resources of Sindh, rather sustaining the life of Sindhi people, are being looted illegally and immorally. Sindhi people are not only dying of force-induced hunger and disease but now by enforced disappearances as well”.

"Sindhi people seem to have no hope for any remedy or justice from the state of Pakistan and its institutions in spite of a continuous democratic struggle of decades. It is a critical situation requiring urgent international intervention. Therefore,  Sindhi people  request the UN to send a Fact-Finding Commission to Sindh  to investigate and gather data and evidence of unprecedented onslaught on political, economic, social, cultural and human rights including the right to live of Sindhi people", said Lakhu Luhana  who continues to highlight the atrocities of Sindhi people at the UN Human Rights Council Sessions in Geneva.

On Friday in Karachi city - another NGO which highlights the plight of the minorities in Sindh the People’s Human Rights Organisations held a press conference to raise the issue of protection of minorities.

Addressing the media Ihsan Ali, Chairman People’s Human Rights Organisation said Sindh government has failed to protect the human rights of the Hindu minority.

Further, he added that unfortunately, the State was turning a blind eye to the people of Sindh especially the Hindu minority.

Ihsan Ali said  People’s Human Rights Organisation wants to share its apprehensions on the very disappointing situation for the Hindu community which has been subjected to untold misery in the two months of February and March 2019.

The Sindh Assembly had unanimously passed the Sindh Criminal Law (Protection of Minorities) Bill 2015 on November 24. Under the bill, anyone found involved in a forced conversion could face a minimum of five years and a maximum of life in prison along with a fine. However, the bill was never implemented.

The Pakistan People's Human Rights organisation expressed concern that if the bill to protect minorities was amended or abrogated under pressure from extremist religious parties, it would increase the sense of insecurity among non-Muslims, adding that the human rights situation for all minorities was very grave in Sindh.