Pakistan Army, along with its agencies and Jamshoro police, has abducted JSFM leader Shoban Lasari and 15 other Sindhi nationalist workers after their rally commemorating the 29th death anniversary of Sindhi nationalist leader GM Syed in Sunn city, demanding the end of forced conversion and release of Priya Kumari.
After the unnotified arrest, JSFM workers, largely comprising of women, blocked the National Highway expressing extreme distress and demanding immediate release of their fellow participants.
Notably, the rally, held at GM Syed’s grave, saw JSFM leaders and activists advocating an end to the forced conversion of Sindhi Hindu girls and denouncing the enforced disappearances and genocide of Sindhi and Baloch people. Participants voiced concerns over ongoing issues affecting their community, emphasizing the importance of preserving religious freedom and protecting ethnic minorities in Pak-occupied Sindh. Additionally, protestors demanded the release of Priya Kumari, a Hindu girl abducted nearly 3 years ago.
Hindu girls are under the constant threat of abduction, rape, coerced marriages and forced marriage in Pakistan. Instead of solving the issue, Pakistan chooses to be ignorant of it. The role of local police comes under suspicion as the local SSP Amjad Shah in a Television program claimed that she is alive and can be conceivably recovered.
Nonetheless, the JSFM rally and subsequent arrest of its leaders is a grim reminder of the continuously deteriorating law and order condition and freedom of expression in Pak occupied Sindh.