Sindh Assembly rejects Indian defence minister’s ‘delusional’ remarks on province as attempt to distort history – Pakistan
The Sindh Assembly on Thursday rejected the remarks of India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh regarding the province as “delusional” and said they were a deliberate attempt to distort history.
On Sunday, Singh said that “civilisationally, Sindh will always be a part of India”, and that “who knows, tomorrow Sindh may return to India again”. His words were strongly rebuked by the Foreign Office as “dangerously revisionist remarks” that revealed an expansionist Hindutva mindset.
The Sindh Assembly unanimously passed a resolution today, stating that the House “unequivocally condemns the Defence Minister of India’s statement as delusional, inflammatory, and a deliberate distortion of history, made in violation of diplomatic norms and international law”.
The resolution, moved by Excise Minister Mukesh Kumar Chawla, said the assembly asserted “with absolute clarity that Sindh is, and will forever remain, an inseparable and integral part” of Pakistan, and rejected any narrative, however absurd, which suggested otherwise.
The lawmakers rejected “with full force all revisionist, expansionist, and politically motivated claims emanating from India that attempt to rewrite the history of Sindh, Pakistan, or the movement for independence”.
It further condemned the extremist policies of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government that “threaten regional peace, undermine civilisational heritage, weaponise water resources, and endanger the environmental security of millions”.
The resolution also called upon the government to “pursue decisive diplomatic, legal, and multilateral action to protect the Indus River, defend Pakistan’s rights under international treaties, and hold India accountable for violations of water, environmental, or humanitarian norms”.
New Delhi unilaterally held the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance in April this year based on unsubstantiated claims regarding the Pahalgam attack, which were strongly refuted by Islamabad. A Sydney-based think-tank warned last month that India could manipulate river flows in the near term, presenting an “acute” danger for Pakistan.
In its resolution, the House expressed “firm solidarity with all communities, within Pakistan and across India, who respect the sanctity of the Indus, reject extremism and revisionism, and uphold the principles of justice, coexistence, and peace”.
The resolution presented by Chawla noted that Sindh was an “ancient civilisation with its own enduring identity, culture, a political consciousness, rooted in history far older and deeper than any modern state”.
It highlighted that the “people of Sindh, asserting their right to autonomy and dignity, chose in 1936 to separate from the Bombay Presidency, long before the creation of Pakistan, thereby demonstrating a clear and unequivocal will for self-governance”.
“Sindh was the first province to adopt the historic resolution in favour of the creation of Pakistan, playing a decisive and irreplaceable role in the establishment of the nation envisioned by Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah,” it stated.
The House described statements made by senior members of the Modi government as not only “historically baseless but also reflect a reckless, provocative, and revisionist agenda aimed at distorting facts and destabilising the region”.
“The people of Sindh, the people of Pakistan, and all fair-minded citizens of India reject such destructive policies and recognise the Indus as a sacred, life-giving artery of our collective civilisation,” it added.
The resolution stated: “The Modi government has overseen the gravest aggression against the Indus River in recorded history — an act that constitutes a violation of international laws and a breach of the Indus Waters Treaty, and an assault on the very ecological civilisational foundations of South Asia.
“An attack on the Indus River is an attack on a shared civilisation and millions of livelihoods, and on the cultural and environmental heritage that binds the region together,” it added.
The National Assembly later passed a similar resolution by PPP MNA Asad Alam Niazi denouncing the remarks.
“These statements are historically incorrect, politically irresponsible and contrary to the recognised geopolitical realities of the Indo-Pak region. The House reaffirms that Sindh is an integral part of the sovereign State of Pakistan and urges all individuals and institutions to refrain from making misleading, biased and destabilising statements,” it reads.
CM Murad urges Centre to raise issue on int’l level
During the assembly session, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah delivered a strong speech, condemning Singh’s statements and demanding that the federal government raise the issue at the international level.
“We demand from the Centre through this resolution that the Government of Pakistan raise this matter before the world,” he said.
“The Government of Pakistan should send this resolution to the world and tell them that India wants to occupy the Sindh River,” the chief minister added.
Reaffirming the province’s loyalty, he declared: “Sindh is a part of Pakistan and will always remain so, and its boundaries can not be changed.”
CM Murad stressed that the international community must be informed of India’s aggressive actions and statements. Following his speech, the resolution against the Indian defence minister’s remarks was unanimously approved by the Sindh Assembly.
The chief minister labelled Singh as panicked. “He is suffering from a state of perplexity. India’s panic began after [a specified event].
“The Indian defence minister was born in Uttar Pradesh. He has never drunk the water of Sindhu (Indus), and that is why his mind is corrupted,” Murad quipped, accusing India of attempting to weaponise the river.
Emphasising the historical and cultural significance of Sindh, the chief minister said, “The impression given by the defence minister of India is deplorable.”
He highlighted Sindh’s ancient history, noting its existence even before the Common Era. “The resolution that was presented narrates the entire history,” he pointed out. “Multan and Makran were included in the ancient maps of Sindh,” he added.
CM Murad highlighted the contributions of Sindhi leaders to the nation’s founding. “The Muslim League Sindh Chapter presented the Pakistan Resolution,” he said, adding that Pakistan was formed “due to the sacrifices of our elders”.
Additional reporting by Irfan Sadozai.
