🇵🇰 Separatist Fury: Violent Sindhudesh Protests Rock Karachi Amid ‘Divide and Rule’ Allegations

Protesters Demand Independent Sindh on Culture Day; Critics Link Proposal to Carve Out New Provinces to Field Marshal Munir’s Power Consolidation

Karachi Erupts Over Sindhudesh Demand

Tensions flared into violent clashes in Karachi this week as a major rally demanding a separate, independent Sindhudesh spiralled into confrontation with law enforcement. The protest, organized under the banner of the Jiye Sindh Muttahida Mahaz (JSSM) on the occasion of Sindhi Culture Day, saw thousands take to the streets chanting slogans of ‘Azadi’ (freedom) and ‘Pakistan Murdabad.’ The violence began after authorities diverted the planned route, leading to stone-pelting, vandalism, and intense clashes where police deployed tear gas, resulting in multiple arrests and injuries to personnel.

The JSSM, whose leadership operates in exile, renewed its appeal to the United Nations and, pointedly, to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging international recognition and support for the Sindhudesh cause. They accuse Pakistan’s security establishment of sustained political repression and severe human rights violations in the province, including extrajudicial killings and the use of anti-terrorism laws to silence activists demanding the liberation of the culturally and historically distinct Sindh region.

Allegations of Field Marshal Munir’s ‘Divide and Rule’ Strategy

The protests come at a critical time when the ruling ‘hybrid’ regime, led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and backed by Field Marshal Asim Munir, is actively considering a plan to administratively carve out new provinces from Pakistan’s existing federal units, including Sindh. Senior federal ministers have publicly argued that creating smaller provinces will lead to better governance and service delivery.

However, Sindhi nationalist parties and critics have vehemently opposed the move, branding it a political maneuver to dilute the identity and power of the existing province. Leaders from the Awami Tehreek party explicitly claimed the proposed constitutional amendment to create new provinces is an attempt to “divide Sindh” and destabilize the local political landscape. They assert this is part of the military establishment’s broader ‘Divide and Rule’ strategy, aimed at weakening regional identities and consolidating central control under the greatly empowered Field Marshal Munir, particularly amid fierce insurgencies in Balochistan and nationalist sentiments in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Geopolitical Context and Indian Statements

The renewed unrest in Pakistan’s third-largest province has attracted international attention, particularly from India. Last month, Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh made controversial remarks asserting that Sindh, though geographically separated, would always remain part of India civilizationally, adding that “who knows, tomorrow Sindh may return to India again.”

While Pakistan’s Foreign Office condemned Singh’s comments as “provocative,” the violence in Karachi underscores the deep-seated ethnic and administrative grievances that continue to threaten Pakistan’s internal cohesion. The demand for Sindhudesh, rooted in post-1971 disillusionment with central authority, is now being fueled by fears that the military establishment is seeking to fundamentally restructure the federation without addressing the core issues of resource exploitation, Punjabi dominance, and political marginalization.