Sindhis Protest At Pak Consulate Over Missing Hindu Girl

CHICAGO, IL (ANI) – The case of the enforced disappearance of Priya Kumari, a minor girl from the Hindu community in Pakistan’s Sindh province, has sparked condemnation and agitation.

On August 5, the Washington-based Sindhi Foundation organized a protest outside the Pakistan Consulate in Chicago. This demonstration is part of a series of protests planned by the organization, with the next one scheduled at the Pakistani Consulate in Houston on August 19.

The Executive Director of the Sindhi Foundation, Sufi Munawar Laghari, demanded Priya Kumari’s unconditional release, stating, “The movement will continue until objectives are achieved. The movement to rescue Priya Kumari is just the first step towards a full-fledged struggle for the emancipation of Sindh and the Sindhi nation.”

According to the Sindhi Foundation’s press statement, Priya was abducted three years ago from Sindh Province. The Sindh police have acknowledged knowing her whereabouts, prompting the Sindhi Foundation to question why Pakistani authorities have not yet secured her release.

Laghari highlighted a consistent pattern of crimes against Sindhi Hindus in Pakistan, alleging state sponsorship of these actions. He also mentioned a directive from Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari to construct seven new canals over the Indus River to irrigate Punjab province, which the Sindhi Foundation claims would turn Sindh into a desert. The statement noted that Zardari’s ceremonial role does not grant him execution authority, making his order illegal.

During the protest, Laghari listed various human rights violations against the people of Sindh, including land occupation for cantonments, corporate farming, enforced disappearances of political activists, and extrajudicial killings of journalists.