The Jeay Sindh Muttahida Mahaz (JSMM), a Sindhi nationalist group led by exiled chairman Shafi Burfat, has issued a renewed plea to the United Nations and other international communities, urging recognition of Sindhudesh as an independent nation and calling attention to what it describes as sustained political repression and human rights violations in Pakistan’s Sindh province.In a comprehensive political manifesto titled The Sindhudesh Global Freedom Charter, JSMM has approached the United Nations, international human rights bodies, democratic governments, and global civil society organizations, arguing that the Sindhi people are subject to a form of internal colonialism under Pakistan’s military and political establishment.In a direct appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Indian public, JSMM cited historical and cultural ties between Sindh and India, requesting moral and political solidarity. The group also called on international institutions to send human rights observers, document alleged violations, and engage with Sindh’s demand for peaceful self-determination.JSMM alleges that demographic engineering through state-sponsored resettlement has diluted Sindh’s ethnic composition, threatening the linguistic and cultural identity of the Sindhi people. Environmental degradation, particularly the diversion of the Indus river’s waters, has compounded local grievances, with widespread desertification of once-fertile lands cited as an ecological consequence of state policy.The statement firmly condemned Pakistan’s security forces for committing serious human rights abuses in Sindh, including enforced disappearances, torture, and extrajudicial killings of political activists, journalists, and student leaders. It mentioned that anti-terrorism legislation is being misused to target secular and nationalist movements, whereas religious extremists receive support from the state.Positioning itself as a secular, democratic movement, JSMM has reiterated its vision for a sovereign Republic of Sindhudesh, grounded in principles of equality, minority protections, and social justice. The group invokes international law including the United Nations Charter and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) to support Sindh’s right to self-determination.Long before modern borders were drawn, Sindh flourished as the heart of the ancient Indus Valley Civilisation which was a sophisticated urban society that emerged over 5,000 years ago along the banks of the Indus river. With advanced city planning, intricate craftsmanship, and a vibrant mercantile culture, Sindh was once a beacon of early human progress. Mohenjo-daro, one of the civilisation’s most iconic sites, still stands as a testament to the region’s intellectual and architectural legacy.This deep-rooted historical identity is central to the Sindhi nationalist narrative, which views contemporary political struggles as a continuation of a civilizational arc interrupted by colonial conquests and post partition state formation.In the colonial era, Sindh existed as a distinct administrative region under British India before being annexed, and eventually was re-established as a separate province in 1936. Advocates for Sindhi autonomy argue that this period fostered a unique political consciousness, one that emphasized cultural plurality and regional pride. The Partition of 1947, however, redrew not just boundaries but identities.Over subsequent decades, Sindhi activists have pointed to a pattern of political marginalization and centralized control, arguing that their historical autonomy has been systematically pulled apart.Framing Sindh’s struggle as both civilisational and contemporary, the charter situated the region within the historical legacy of the Indus valley civilisation, asserting that Sindh was forced into joining Pakistan in 1947 and has since faced cultural erasure and economic exploitation. The document claims that Sindh’s resources including oil, gas, coal, fertile farmland, and deep-sea ports have been systematically extracted to benefit other regions, while the local population remains economically marginalised.While JSMM’s claims are politically charged and remain unacknowledged by the Pakistani state, the charter marks a significant step in internationalizing what has largely been a domestic conflict.
