WSI Holds Peaceful Protest in Toronto
[Press release courtesy of the World Sindhi Institute, Date : August 14, 2006]

August 14, 2006 - The World Sindhi Institute (W.S.I.) was joined by Baloch Action Forum of Canada and the World Sindhi Congress in staging a peaceful protest against the continuing atrocities being committed by Pakistan. The protesters gathered at the city's main intersection of YONG and DUNDAS Square in Central Toronto at 2:00 PM and stayed there for about three hours.

Mr.Zulfiqar Ali Khowaja, the Primary organizer of the World Sindhi Institute in Canada "Human rights violations by Pakistan are rampant. Detainees are routinely tortured. Sindhi villages are being demolished.'' Mr.Khowaja noted that a number of peaceful Sindhi and Baloch dissidents have been abducted by security forces who then deny holding them. Sometimes such detentions have been followed by custodial killings. Among the hundreds of ghost detainees whose whereabouts are currently unknown are Dr.Safdar Sarki, Asif Baladi, Sami Baloch and Obedullah Baloch.

Mr. Khwaja went on to condemn the continued violation of the fundamental rights of Sindhi women and Pakistan's anti-Sindh environmental policies. He pointed out that the construction of mega-dams has blocked the flow of rivers to Sindh. ``Sindh has lost its life. Sterility has already sprouted over entire much of the land of beloved Sindh. Pakistan's proposal to build Kalabagh Dam will render Sindh entirely arid, and create a mass famine.''

Baloch spokesman Mr.Imtiaz Baloch said that while the people in Balochistan are in dire need of education, health care, civic amenities and basic infrastructure, Pakistan is exploiting the natural gas revenues of the province for excessive military spending. New military garrisons have been created and the Pakistani Air Force is using F-16s and helicopter gunships to bomb and strafe villages and towns of the secular-minded indigenous Baloch.

The crowd demanded that the Prime Minister Stephen Harper should exert pressure on Government of Pakistan to stop such atrocities, and that provisions of funds to Pakistan in any form must be halted until the rights of the people of Sindh and Balochistan are respected. The demonstrators also asked the local and international media to highlight and plight of Sindhis and Baloch in Pakistan.

In the end, Mr. Imtiaz Baloch and Mr Khowaja thanked every one for making the protest a success and asked that these protest continue to tell the world about the nature of Pakistani rule.

For more information, please contact Munawar Laghari at 202-223-1777 or via e-mail at wsihq@worldsindhi.org. You may also visit www.worldsindhi.org for more information.

Through nonviolent means, The World Sindhi Institute works relentlessly for universal human rights and humanitarian law for the Sindhis of Sindh, in southeastern Pakistan.