Sindhi Foundation holds protest for human rights outside Pakistani Consulate in Chicago

August 1, 2024: In a bid to draw attention of the US administration and Pakistan’s government, the Sindhi Foundation held a protest in front of the Pakistani Consulate in Chicago to demand rights for the Sindhi community in Pakistan, highlighting the plight of Hindu girl Priya Kumari, as well as human rights abuse, and alleged census manipulation.

The Foundation has called on international agencies to suspend aid to Pakistan until the alleged human rights violations against Sindhis ceases.

At the forefront of the Sindhi Foundation’s demands is the immediate release of Priya Kumari, a minor, abducted three years ago in Sindh Province of Pakistan. Her continued captivity symbolizes the broader issues faced by the Sindhi Hindu community, the Sindh Foundation maintains.

Also, the Foundation drew attention to what it said were ongoing human rights abuses against Sindhis in Pakistan, which it said were state=-sponsored, aiming to homogenize the population. The organization claimed that this has led to land occupation, enforced disappearances, and extrajudicial killings.

The Sindhi Foundation asserted that the government’s policies aim to marginalize non-Muslim communities and promote an Urdu-speaking Islamic identity, and pledged to continue its protests until their demands are met, including the safe return of Priya Kumari.