Rally for Rights at
Los Angeles Consulate General
Los Angeles, CA: Sindhi
activists, housewives and children, members of World Sindhi
Institute, SANA, World Sindhi Congress and many other democracy-loving
Pakistanis gathered in front of the Pakistan Consulate in
Wilshire on February 27 to register a protest.
Wearing symbolic and traditional ajrak scarves, the young
and old, men and women, stood silently in pouring rain with
placards denouncing mega dams, the operation in Balochistan,
and the desertification in Sindh caused by lopsided and
self-serving policies of the government.
Saghir Shaikh of WSC and Suraya Panhwar of SANA lashed out
against the human rights violations in Pakistan.
Munawar Laghari, Executive Director of the World Sindhi
Institute, said when the oppressed people of Pakistan speak
in favor of women’s rights they are labeled as “anti-Islam”;
when they speak against military dictatorship they are labeled
as “anti-state”, and when they demand human
rights they are told that “Sindhis and Baloch are
unpatriotic.”
“Today we have reached a stage when we no longer care
what labels the generals give us; time will show who we
really are and history will record who the generals were.”
He demanded the release of Dr Safdar Sarki, who was arrested
and incarcerated last week in Karachi.
Humaira Rahman Director of the World Sindhi Institute in
Canada, said the participants in the meeting wanted to tell
the people of the United States that they were being fooled
by the military government of Pakistan . Instead of a war
against terror and against fundamentalism another war is
being conducted: a war against the fundamental rights of
the people of Pakistan, especially the Sindhis, Baloch,
Seraikis, Pushtuns and the poor of Punjab by a privileged
and self-serving ruling class .
Mr Rasool Bux Palijo speaking on the occasion said that
we reject the Pakistan that is run by the military; we want
Jinnah’s Pakistan, the original and pure Pakistan
that was created on the basis of the 1940 Resolution in
which the center was granted the portfolios of currency,
defense and defense-related communication.
The participants held up placards claiming “Water
is for life not for death”, “Stop mega dams”,
“The military generals of Pakistan are corrupt”.
They raised slogans demanding an end to the military rule
and the restoration of democracy.
Rasool Bux Palijo and Humaira Rahman presented a memorandum
addressed to the Consulate General to a representative of
the Consulate who promised to forward it to the federal
government in Islamabad.
Munawar Laghari thanked the local Sindhi community for their
support and affection. In particular, he thanked Saleem
Ursani, Shabbir Jatoi, Saleem Langha, Sani and Suraya Panhwar,
Malik Dino Shaikh, Sagheer Shaikh, Rahman Kakepoto, Eijaz
Sayed, Hasan Mujtaba and Seema Qureshi, Rahman Laghari,
Raheem Laghari, Amar Punhwari,and Mr Adnan Nazeer.
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