Human rights activists and scholars raised the alarming human rights situation in Pakistan’s Sindh province at the 52nd session of the Human Rights Council. Sindhi human rights activists and scholars raised human rights issues in the region during a session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Friday.
A side event titled “Human Rights Violations in Pakistan” featured a panel of Sindhi activists including Fatima Gul, Muzaffar Talpur, Reva Tarwani and Sindhu Rustamani. The panel exposed the situation in the region with the aim of drawing the world’s attention to the oppression of the Sindhi people.
“We have to point out human rights violations in Pakistan where thousands of girls have gone missing, many have been subjected to forced conversions, and many have been killed,” said Sindhi-American human rights activist Fatima Gul.
“When you mention blasphemy it is a very serious problem. Because in Sindh we Sindhis, Muslims and Hindus, go to school and learn Islamic studies. Therefore, arresting Sindhi people for blasphemy is ridiculous. This is something new. Because we know very well how to respect all religions and how we can live together with different belief systems,” Gul added.
“Most of the Sindhi youth are now living in fear. The whole society is living in fear. The biggest problem we are facing right now is this fear,” said Muzaffar Talpur.
“Human rights must be respected. Everything related to human rights is the most important. Also, if human rights are respected in the state of Pakistan, I think 95 percent of the problem will be solved,” he added.