Pakistan has issued a fierce condemnation of Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s recent comments about the situation in Sindh. The statement, full of familiar accusations and angry rhetoric, reads less like a diplomatic response and more like a nervous reaction from a state deeply insecure about its own internal cracks.
For India, the larger question is not why Pakistan is upset. The real question is why the people of Sindh have been raising their voices so loudly that even international leaders cannot ignore them anymore.
What Rajnath Singh Actually Pointed Out
Rajnath Singh did not call for border changes or territorial claims. He simply reflected what the Sindhi people themselves have been saying for decades. His remarks pointed out that large sections of Sindhi activists and diaspora groups openly demand freedom from the suffocating control of Pakistan’s military establishment.
His observation was rooted in public protests, international Sindhi rights campaigns, and the testimonies of families whose sons have disappeared at the hands of Pakistan’s security agencies. When an Indian minister acknowledges what these families have been shouting for years, Islamabad reacts as if a forbidden truth has been spoken out loud.
Pakistan’s loud condemnation does not come from confidence. It comes from fear of global scrutiny.
Islamabad’s Statement Avoids the One Question That Matters
Pakistan’s Foreign Office described Rajnath Singh’s comments as “delusional.” It accused India of provoking instability and tried to shift the conversation toward Kashmir. The tone was aggressive, but the strategy was familiar.
What the statement never addressed is the most important issue. Why is Sindh a province where ordinary citizens live in fear of the state? Why do families hold vigils outside Karachi Press Club for months begging for the safe return of their missing children?
A government confident of its treatment of Sindh would have answered these questions. Instead, it tried to bury them under political deflections.
Life in Sindh: A Story Pakistan Hopes No One Will Revisit
To understand why Rajnath Singh’s remarks struck such a sensitive nerve, one must understand the lived reality of Sindh.
Families Torn Apart by Enforced Disappearances
In Sindh, the phrase “missing persons” is not an abstract idea. It is a daily tragedy. Human rights groups have documented thousands of enforced disappearances. Victims include students, activists, schoolteachers, farmers, poets and journalists. Some are returned after months of torture. Some return as bodies dumped on roadsides. Many remain untraceable.
For every disappearance, there is a family that lives in limbo. Mothers hold photographs of their young sons at protest camps that stretch for miles. These stories never appear in official Pakistani press releases.
A Province Where Dissent Is Treated as a Crime
Sindhi nationalist groups have long demanded cultural dignity and political autonomy. Pakistan responds with force. Leaders are arrested, political workers are targeted in staged encounters, and peaceful organisations are labelled as “anti-state.”
Even Sindhi literature and cultural gatherings are monitored. Anything that affirms Sindh’s distinct identity is treated with suspicion. A province with a rich history and a vibrant language is steadily pushed into silence.
Minority Communities Face Daily Insecurity
Sindh is home to the largest Hindu population in Pakistan. Their experiences reveal a constant cycle of intimidation. Girls as young as thirteen are abducted and forcibly converted. Temples are vandalised. Families live under the mercy of local clerics and feudal lords who operate without fear.
Pakistan often claims to protect minorities, but the reality in Sindh paints a different picture.
An Economy Extracted and a People Ignored
Sindh contributes significantly to Pakistan’s national revenue. Despite this, the province’s development indicators remain poor. Locals repeatedly say that resources flow out of Sindh, but dignity never flows in.
Environmental destruction caused by mismanaged water systems, land grabbing by powerful groups, and the militarisation of rural districts have made life harder for ordinary Sindhis.
None of this was acknowledged in Pakistan’s statement. Silence has always been Islamabad’s preferred strategy when dealing with Sindh.
Why Sindh Has Become Impossible for Pakistan to Hide
For years, Sindhi dissidents abroad have organised protests in London, Geneva, Washington and Berlin. They carry posters that display the faces of missing young men. They speak about torture cells, rape, intimidation, and political repression.
The world is slowly listening. And when India references these issues, it amplifies the voices Pakistan desperately wants to mute. This is why Islamabad reacts so sharply. The moment Sindh becomes part of an international conversation, Pakistan’s carefully crafted narrative collapses.
India’s Position Is Grounded in Reality, Not Rhetoric
India did not create the anger in Sindh. It simply acknowledged the suffering that Pakistan tries to hide. Rajnath Singh’s remarks were grounded in the lived experiences of Sindhi families, in evidence collected by activists, and in reports by human rights bodies that have long documented Pakistan’s abuses.
For India, the responsibility is clear. When the rights of people in the region are violated, India has the moral and political right to speak. New Delhi’s perspective is rooted in stability, human rights and regional transparency.
Pakistan’s Statement Cannot Cover Up Its Own Failures
Pakistan’s condemnation of India may capture headlines, but it does not answer the fundamental question. Why do the people of Sindh continue to protest year after year If everything is stable, why are young men abducted in the middle of the night If the province is secure, why do thousands remain missing
Until Pakistan confronts its treatment of Sindh honestly, its diplomatic complaints will ring hollow. India, meanwhile, will continue calling attention to these injustices. The people of Sindh deserve that much.
