The Politics of Sindhi Nationalism and Rise of Separatist Elements in Sindh

Author(s) : Syed Abul Hassan Naqvi

Abstract:

Sindh has a long tradition of nationalist politics on the basis of Sindhi nationalism. This spirit of nationalism remained present even during the British rule. The demand for separation of Sindh for its separate identity and autonomous status was the nationalistic vision of Sindhis. In this aspect, G. M. Sayed is considered as the founding father of Sindhi nationalism. In post partition era, the Sindhi nationalists were disillusioned by the policies of the state. The strong control of the centre and suppression of provincial autonomy aggravated the situation. The fragile ethnic factor was flourished with immigrants of non-Sindhis. The actual seeds of Sindhi nationalist movement were sown by unification of the West Pakistan as One Unit in 1955, which eroded the separate identity of Sindh. Such policies inflamed the situation and significantly, changed the political dynamics of Sindh. The turning point in politics of Sindh resulted with start of separatist movement for Sindh as “Sindhu Desh”. The separatist movement was led by G. M. Syed under the umbrella of Jeay Sindh Tahreek. Later on, the separatist groups’ splitted but followed G. M. Sayed’s philosophy and continued this movement of separation. This study focuses on the emergence of separatist elements in result of nationalist movement and their effectiveness in politics of Sindh. This paper critically examines the politics of Sindhi nationalism and its impact on politics of Sindh as well as Pakistan.