Date: April 24, 2025
Since the creation of Pakistan, instead of promoting ethnic nationalism in Punjab to ensure the social respect, administrative ease, financial prosperity, and economic development of Punjabis living in Sindh, Balochistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab promoted regional nationalism within itself—labelling the Pashtuns, Baloch, and Urdu-speaking Indian migrants living in Punjab as Punjabis.
Whereas, since the creation of Pakistan, the social, administrative, financial, and economic attitude of Punjab towards the Sindhis has been as follows:
1. Instead of fostering social harmony with Sindhis and supporting the Sindhi language to protect the social respect of Punjabis living in Sindh, Punjab supported Urdu-speaking Indian migrants and their language Urdu. This disrupted the social harmony between Punjabis living in Sindh since before the creation of Pakistan and Sindhis.
2. Instead of administratively empowering, providing financial prosperity and economic development to Sindhis, and easing administrative, financial, economic challenges for Punjabis living in Sindh, Punjab granted administrative powers, financial prosperity and economic development to Urdu-speaking Indian migrants. This led the administrative, financial, economic problems for Punjabis living in Sindh caused by the Sindhis due to anti-Sindhi administrative, financial, economic policies coming from Punjab.
Moreover, due to poor social, administrative, financial, economic strategies of Punjabi politicians and bureaucrats or in pursuit of Punjab’s own interests, the Punjabis living in Sindh were repeatedly made scapegoats. As a result, Punjabis became targets of a backlash against the anti-Sindhi social, administrative, financial, and economic policies coming from Punjab.
Meanwhile, the Urdu-speaking Indian migrants of Sindh, after forming the Mohajir Qaumi Movement (MQM) from 1987, subjected Punjabis living in Karachi and Hyderabad to a type of social, administrative, financial, and economic treatment that Punjabi politicians and bureaucrats of Punjab perhaps still fail to comprehend or have no interest in understanding.
Just as the original inhabitants of Punjab are Punjabis but Pashtuns, Baloch, and Urdu-speaking Indian migrants living permanently in Punjab are considered Pashtun-origin Punjabis, Baloch-origin Punjabis, and Urdu-speaking Indian migrant-origin Punjabis under regional nationalism.
Similarly, the indigenous inhabitants of Sindh are Sammat, but Punjabis who have permanently settled in Sindh are also, from the perspective of ‘Regional Nationalism’ considered Punjabi-origin Sindhis—just like Arab-origin and Baloch-origin Sindhis.
Just as Arab-origin and Baloch-origin Sindhis, Punjabi-origin Sindhis are also permanent residents of Sindh. They speak the Sindhi language and have adopted Sindhi culture. Therefore, Punjabi-origin Sindhis;
Consider social harmony in Sindh essential.
Consider administrative improvements for Sindhis necessary.
Consider financial stability for Sindhis crucial.
Consider economic development for Sindhis vital.
The Punjabis of Sindh are Punjabi-origin Sindhis in terms of regional nationalism, like Arab-origin and Baloch-origin Sindhis. That’s why Punjabi-origin Sindhis;
View the disruption of social harmony in Sindh as contrary to their interests.
Consider the denial of administrative powers to Sindh as against their interests.
See the plundering of Sindh’s financial resources as harmful to their interests.
Consider conspiracies against Sindh’s economic progress as against their interests.
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