Defense Minister Rajnath Singh is well aware of Pakistan’s harsh language and bold behavior. As an experienced leader, he responded to Pakistan in a similar tone. He strongly criticized Pakistan, saying that borders can change anytime and even Sindh could come back to India. Earlier in October, he had warned Pakistan about its increased military activities and construction in the Sir Creek area. He reminded Pakistan that if it tried anything wrong, it should remember that the route to Karachi goes through Sir Creek. Sir Creek is a 96-km-long water channel between India and Pakistan, located between Gujarat’s Kutch region and Pakistan’s Sindh province, which flows into the Arabian Sea. Rajnath Singh also spoke about the Sindhi community, praising their contribution and connection to Sindh. He said that even though Sindh is not part of India today, it will always remain connected to India culturally. Borders may change, but the people who consider the Indus River holy will always be close to us.
Pakistan is angry about his statement. It is aware that its internal situation is unstable and that it could fall apart at any time. Movements demanding independence are already active in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Sindh. If Pakistan were to break apart, it would become smaller than the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Before delving into Sindh’s current situation, it’s crucial to understand its history. This was a time when the world wasn’t divided by such invisible lines. Visas weren’t required to travel from one country to another. At that time, India was called the Golden Bird. After months of walking, travelers would cross the Hindu Kush and see the Indus River. The Indus River is also mentioned in the Rig Veda. In Proto-Iranian languages, the Indus was called Hindu, and thus, the land beyond the Hindu became Hindustan. Beyond Iran, the Greeks called it Indos, and the Romans called it Indus, and thus, the people living beyond the Indus were called the “People of the Indus,” or Indica, which is now India. Now, let’s understand the political landscape of this historical region. The area along the Indus River is called Sindh, and after the India-Pakistan partition of 1947, this area went to Pakistan.
This region became one of Pakistan’s four provinces. After Partition, many Sindhis escaped to India, and many Muslims settled in Sindh, disrupting Sindh’s population balance and reducing its indigenous population. The indigenous Sindhis have never embraced Pakistan wholeheartedly. Consequently, they demand a separate “Sindhudesh,” meaning a separate Sindh state, completely separate from Pakistan. The demand for a separate Sindhu state gained momentum in 1967 when Pakistan imposed the Urdu language on them. For Sindhis, Sindh is not just a province, but a significant part of their identity. They feel that their identity is not safe in Pakistan. Pakistan’s rulers have consistently perpetrated atrocities in Sindh.
Reports of Hindu girls being abducted and forcibly converted to Islam and married to Muslims continue to surface. Reports of vandalism and looting of Hindu temples are also frequent. To suppress the voices of Sindhis, Pakistani governments and the military have consistently perpetrated atrocities. Thousands of Sindhis remain unaccounted for to this day. Those who raise their voices are vanished overnight. This is exactly what has been going on in Balochistan for years. The people of Sindh have raised their voices worldwide against the continued suppression of human rights. Sindh has given Pakistan two Prime Ministers: Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and his daughter, Benazir Bhutto. During their tenure, the Sindhi struggle slowed somewhat, but during the tenure of other Dokmarans, the rebellion remained strong. Sindhis even appealed to India to grant them freedom in the same way as Kashmiris were granted freedom from Article 370. The entire region of Sindh is rich in wealth.
This region is renowned for cultivation of every crop, herbs, natural medicines, and dry fruits. This region is far more prosperous than any other region of Pakistan. The climate here perfectly matches the Indian civilization. Once upon a time, Sindh was a hub of Vedic civilization, but Muslim fundamentalists transformed it into a bloodshed zone. Pakistan utilizes Sindh’s wealth, but Sindhis have not been granted rights to date. Sindh has been a victim of the vicious thinking of fundamentalists for centuries. Muslims who migrated from India during Partition also faced humiliation. They were called Muhajirs and were always treated as second-class citizens by local Muslims. They suffered oppression for decades. Defense Minister Rajnath Singh has touched a sore spot in Pakistan, and leaders of the Jai Sindh Muttahida Mahaz welcomed his statement, saying that the struggle for a separate Sindh state will intensify and that a separate Sindh state could establish a federal relationship with India. This clearly demonstrates the desire of the people of Sindh to join India.
