What's happening in Pakistan? Karachi is ‘under violence’, protestors demand separate ‘Sindhudesh’

Pakistan is under boil as a massive protest erupted in Karachi with demonstrators having a huge demand - a separate Sindhudesh. The demand has led to violence in the country, leading to stone pelting, vandalism and an intense clash with police. It all started on Sunday (Dec 7) after protesters hit the streets on Sindhi Culture Day, demanding a separate Sindhudesh. A pool of Sindhis, under the banner Jiye Sindh Muttahida Mahaz (JSSM), raised slogans of "Azadi" (freedom) and "Pakistan Murdabad". They demanded the liberation of Sindh, amplifying a longstanding sentiment of Sindhi nationalist parties.

The history of Sindh province

The region is an area near the Indus River. It went to Pakistan following the Partition in 1947. The name "Sindhudesh" was taken from the Hindu mythology Mahabharata, in which it is the name of modern Sindh, the third-largest Pakistani province.

The ongoing tensions

The tensions escalate after authorities diverted the rally route, angering thousands of protesters. The police resorted to tear gas shelling to disperse the crowd. As per reports, at least 45 people have been nabbed in the protest.

Dawn reported that five police personnel were injured in the violence. The government directed the police to identify and arrest those involved in damaging property and vandalising police vehicles.

This came a week after a Pakistani news channel aired a discussion in which a journalist and an expert claimed that MQM (Muttahida Qaumi Movement) chief Altaf Hussain once told former Sindh home minister Zulfiqar Mirza that after the passage of the 18th Amendment, "the Sindhudesh card is now in our hands".

Fact check

Amid the social media claims and videos, an X account, claiming to be an independent fact-check organisation of Pakistan, claimed that there is no such protest going on and the claims are false.

WION can not independently verify either of the claims.

Indian stance on Sindh

Last month, the Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh made a huge statement on the India-Pakistan border, saying that the Singh region "may return to India". After the partition, people who used to reside in that region, Sindhis, came to India. Singh said that Sindhi Hindus, especially from the generation of leaders like LK Advani, have never accepted the separation of the Sindh region from India.

"I'd also like to mention that Lal Krishna Advani wrote in one of his books that Sindhi Hindus, especially those of his generation, still haven't accepted the separation of Sindh from India," the Indian defence minister said.

"Not just in Sindh, but throughout India, Hindus consider the Indus River sacred. Many Muslims in Sindh also believed that the water of the Indus was no less sacred than the Aab-e-Zamzam of Mecca. This is Advani ji's quote," he added.