By: Suraiya Makhdoom, UK
… Cooperation between Balouchs and Sindhis – there can’t be 2 opinions as to whether Sindhis should support the just cause of Baloch struggle: we should and we are. Sindhis as a nation and a people have a time honoured tradition of supporting all the just causes. As far as Balouchistan is concerned, Sindhis have been with their Balouch brothers and sisters on every step of the way. Sindhi nation supported Balouchs during the 1970’s military operation and many suffered jails and other tortures.
During the current military operation too, Sindhis both in Sindh and abroad are playing their historic role of supporting Balouch. Almost all the nationalist parties, organisations, think tank and individuals have take out demos, issued statements and written articles, etc., both in Sindhi and English.
Overseas Sindhis too would always been with their Balouch brothers and sister in the struggle, writing and forwarding articles and news on net groups and so on.
However, we don’t see that much response from our Balouch brothers/sisters both in Balochistan and abroad. Baloch leadership does support Sindh cause and have been with their Sindh counterparts. But we can hardly see Sindhi issues mentioned on various Baloch websites. Even Saeen Ahmar Masti Khan, who is a contributor to this debate has hardly given space or written about Sindh issues on his website/blogs, whose links he sent with his arguments.
I realize they got too much at hand. But then so do we. Baloch leaders are martyred and so are Sindhis. In the most recent times, police and rangers have killed 4 activists on the IDPs issue and just 2 days ago they’ve martyred a leader of JSQM, Mushtaq Khaskhely. Has Saeen Ahmer Masti Khan or others taken notice of this issue? Needless to remind our Balouch comrades that Sindhi people have mourned and protested against Baloch killings almost as much as Balochs have.
It’s due to the above that some Sindhis then question the whole issue of Sindhi-Baloch co-operation. This doesn’t and will not deter the popular Sindhi sentiment and practical support for the Balochs, because for us it’s a just cause.
My request to our Balouch brothers and sister is that they should come forward and do more. Let Saeen Ahmer start by at least putting the news (he should actually write about the same) of recent Sindhi martyrs on his website and forward the same to others. Baloch leaders and activists too both in Balochistan and abroad should mention Sindh issues in their speeches and presentations. They too should own the Sindh struggle and Sindh issues just as we own Baloch struggle and issues.
The salvation of oppressed people lies in unity and working together, not in personal attaches or unnecessary arguments.
The writer can be reached at- smakhdoom3@yahoo.co.uk
Indus Asia Online Journal (Click here to go to home page)
offcourse sindhi and baloch should support to each other because both are the victimized from the first day of independence, every body knows balochistan was a seprate state form pakistan at the time of independence but jinnah were made more efforts to combine state of qalat with pakistan, the agreement was made between the two leader mr jinah and mir yar ahmed when jinah died no body was intrested to solve the problems of baloch.
i proud to be a sindhi and i live on the land of sufi’s and darveesh of sindh, they were more eucated than us, in this era no body is able to write a potry lke shah abdul latif bhittai and like sachal sarmast, no body has right to criticize on sufis they are the istory and assets of sindh, we all loved them a lot.
punjab is the only province which is playing a negative role which is not fair they have to play a positive role.
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Its a good article, but I think Balochistanis are probably telling us silently: stop talking, take action, join us practically. .. We just talk and talk…Talk doesn’t get rid of racism which is what we are suffering from. Sindhi masses have no idea what racism is? They are heavily influenced by dervish culture… even that they don’t brag about. Our plays don’t even show the life and times of the 125000 dervishes of Sindh.