London: At the 37th International Conference of the World Sindhi Congress held in London, Sarang Sindhi, a representative of the Voice for Missing Persons of Sindh (VMPS), highlighted the long-standing issue of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings in Sindh.
Addressing the gathering, Sarang Sindhi said that between 2000 and 2025, more than 3,500 Sindhi individuals have been forcibly disappeared, while over 50 political activists were killed in staged encounters. He noted that the true figures are likely much higher due to underreporting.
“Between 2017 and 2025 alone, over 550 Sindhi political activists have been reported missing, with the highest numbers recorded in 2022 (98) and in the first nine months of 2025 (92). From 2012 to 2025, at least 51 Jeay Sindh activists were killed extrajudicially,” he stated.
Sarang Sindhi also recalled the loss suffered by VMPS when its patron, Hidayatullah Lohar, was assassinated on February 16, 2024, in Naseerabad, Qambar. Lohar, the father of current VMPS convenor Sorath Lohar, was widely seen as a symbol of resistance against state repression.
He urged the international Sindhi diaspora, global human rights bodies, and democratic institutions to recognize what he described as “an unbroken chain of violations” and to extend support to VMPS’s urgent demands. These include the immediate release of all missing persons in Sindh and accountability for state agencies and individuals responsible for extrajudicial executions.
