Tensions erupted in Karachi after protests marking Sindhi Culture Day turned violent, driven by demands for a separate “Sindhudesh.” What began as a cultural rally escalated into stone pelting, vandalism and clashes with the police when demonstrators — mainly from the Jiye Sindh Muttahida Mahaz (JSSM) — raised slogans calling for Sindh’s liberation from Pakistan. The marchers accused the state of decades-long political repression and used chants like “Azadi” and “Pakistan Murdabad,” highlighting the long-standing separatist sentiment within segments of the Sindhi nationalist movement.
Trouble intensified when authorities diverted the protest route, triggering anger among thousands. Sections of the crowd hurled stones and damaged property, prompting police to fire tear gas to disperse demonstrators. Local reports confirmed at least 45 arrests and five injured policemen. The Sindh government has directed police to track down those involved in vandalising public and police vehicles.
Sindhi groups have repeatedly accused Pakistan’s security establishment of enforced disappearances, torture and extrajudicial killings of activists. JSSM — led by exiled chief Shafi Burfat — has appealed to the United Nations to recognise Sindhudesh as an independent nation. It has also urged Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to support the cause, citing cultural and historical ties between Sindh and India.
The renewed unrest comes on the back of heightened political conversations around Sindh. A recent TV debate in Pakistan claimed that MQM founder Altaf Hussain once suggested that Sindhudesh could be used as a political tool. In India, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh drew headlines by saying that Sindh would “return to India one day,” stressing centuries-old cultural links.
The idea of Sindhudesh, however, is not new. The separatist movement first emerged in the late 1960s under GM Syed and gained traction after Bangladesh’s independence in 1971. Supporters argue that the Sindhi identity — rooted in the Indus Valley Civilisation — is distinct from the broader Pakistani national identity. Within Sindh, however, most groups advocate either greater autonomy or full independence, not merger with India.
The violence in Karachi underscores how the call for Sindhudesh — simmering for decades — continues to erupt periodically, fuelled by cultural assertion, allegations of state repression and shifting political narratives.
