[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 116 (Thursday, July 14, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E733]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     RECOGNIZING THE SUFFERING OF THE SINDHI COMMUNITY IN PAKISTAN

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 14, 2022

  Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong 
support of the Sindhi Sufi people in Pakistan, and against the 
unconscionable human rights atrocities that have been inflicted upon 
them for years.
  There is perhaps nowhere in the world more important for the United 
States to battle extremism with public diplomacy than Pakistan, a 
nuclear-armed state where numerous extremists over the years have 
unfortunately sought refuge from justice. Pakistan's third largest 
province of Sindh is a place of particular concern, where members of 
the local Sindhi community find themselves subject to intense and 
unfair government scrutiny.
  Sindhi persons have also been notably absent from the high echelons 
of Pakistan's government. As of 2022, there has not been a single 
Sindhi speaking judge on the Supreme Court of Pakistan. Of deepest 
concern however are the many instances of human rights abuses against 
the community, including exceptional jail times for trumped up crimes 
of ``blasphemy'', beatings, harassment, and forced disappearances. In 
2017 alone, many activists, budding politicians, teachers, and students 
were forcibly disappeared by authorities. The Center for Research and 
Security Studies based in Pakistan has reported nearly 1,500 
accusations and cases of blasphemy. Out of these 18 women and 71 men 
have been killed extrajudicially between 1947 and 2021.
  I was made aware of one such case by my constituents: the life 
sentence handed down to one man, Notan Lal, the principal of a private 
school and member of Pakistan's Hindu minority who was accused of 
speaking blasphemously about the Prophet Muhammad. For this supposed 
infraction against the common good, he was arrested in 2019 and 
ultimately sentenced in February 2022 to 25 years in prison. No one 
should ever have to face a life in prison on such trumped-up charges.
  There is a silver lining however, as Congress continues to hear the 
cries for help from the Sindhi community, we are answering with greater 
efforts to recognize and promote their importance. Sindh Caucus Co-
Chair Representative Brad Sherman and I were especially grateful to see 
that our Caucus' efforts to see Voice of America promote additional 
material and resources in the Sindhi language. Nearly 14 percent of 
Pakistanis--over 30 million people--speak Sindhi, but there has 
unfortunately never been significant material in the language from VOA 
until now. With this new material, it will become easier to reach out 
to the Sindhi community in Pakistan, and for them to reach out into the 
world in turn.
  The people of Pakistan--especially those in the Sindhi community--
deserve respect for their human rights, regardless of creed or 
conviction. I urge my colleagues to continue to speak out for the 
Sindhi community in Pakistan and ensure that their human rights are 
respected.

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