The World Sindhi Institute
July 21, 2006
Press Release

World Sindhi Institute Deeply Concerned by Dawn Report
Report makes Spurious Claims Concerning WSI Activities

Washington, DC—The President and Board of Directors of the World Sindhi Institute have expressed serious concern at a news report printed in the Dawn newspaper on Thursday, July 20, 2006. According to this article, an anonymous Pakistan government official of an unnamed department claims that the World Sindhi Institute finances terrorist organizations in Balochistan and Sindh.

The World Sindhi Institute was established in 1997 as a non-profit organization to promote human rights in the Sindh province of southeast Pakistan through non-violent means. WSI brings together Sindhis of all religious and geographical backgrounds and their supporters in a proactive, progressive movement whose purpose is to inform others of the human rights and environmental atrocities occurring in Sindh. WSI initiates and welcomes collaborative projects with other governmental and non-governmental organizations and individuals seeking positive, nonviolent change in South Asia and elsewhere.

Over the last 9 years, the World Sindhi Institute has shown dedication to the democratic, social, and economic best interests of Pakistan. Among its activities are cultural and educational programs to maintain awareness of Sindhis abroad concerning the social, economic, and cultural issues in Sindh. Mr. Munawar Laghari, Executive Director of the World Sindhi Institute, notes that, “It is precisely this kind of discrimination and disinformation that further alienates Sindhis from Islamabad.”

WSI calls upon the government of Pakistan to stop human rights violations and disappearances in Sindh rather than to label those who raise their voices against these human rights violations as terrorists or separatists. Instead of issuing an irresponsible statement, the government should engage in dialogue with Sindhis to understand the extent and seriousness of the deprivation of the people and so that Sindh and Sindhis have an attempt to redress this deprivation. WSI condemns these tactics as attempts to malign its activities and programs by misguiding the public through statements designed to confuse opposition to military rule.

For more information, please contact Caprill Hacker or Yelena Rubanovich at 202-223-1777 or via e-mail at wsihq@worldsindhi.org. You may also visit www.worldsindhi.org for more information.

Through nonviolent means, The World Sindhi Institute works relentlessly for universal human rights and humanitarian law for the Sindhis of Sindh, in southeastern Pakistan