The World Sindhi Congress Addresses Land Occupation at the UN
A delegation from the World Sindhi Congress (WSC), an organization advocating for Sindhi rights, participated in the 23rd session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) on April 24th, 2023. They raised concerns about the ongoing occupation of agricultural and residential lands belonging to the Sindhi people by the Pakistani military and their proxies.
During his intervention, WSC representative Farhan Soomro highlighted the gravity of the situation. He explained that the land occupation began at the inception of Pakistan when Sindhi Hindus were forced to leave, resulting in the seizure of their lands. This process has continued unabated, with the Pakistani military announcing plans to occupy 1.3 million acres of land in Sindh for corporate farming.
Soomro emphasized the detrimental impact of these actions on the Sindhi people's rights to life, food, and economic security. He cited the displacement of Sindhi Hindus and the construction of the Ghulam Muhammad Barrage in 1955 as key events that exacerbated the issue. He also pointed to the opaque allocation of vast tracts of land to military affiliates and the illegal occupation of land by Bahria Town in Karachi as examples of the disregard for the law and the rights of indigenous people.
The WSC leaders presented demands on behalf of the Sindhi people. They urged the United Nations to pressure the Pakistani government to immediately cease land exploitation in Sindh and facilitate the return of wrongfully seized land to its rightful owners. They also called for increased transparency, legal adherence, and accountability in all land transfers, particularly those involving military and commercial interests.
The WSC emphasized the urgency of addressing this issue, highlighting the severe human rights infringements and the need to preserve the dignity and rights of the indigenous Sindhi people. They expressed concern over the ecological damage and destruction of historical sites caused by the land occupation and corporate farming practices.
The WSC's statement at the UNPFII brought attention to the ongoing land occupation in Sindh and its detrimental impact on the Sindhi people. They called for international intervention and accountability to ensure the protection of the Sindhi people's rights and the preservation of their land and cultural heritage.