Geneva

The Sindhi Foundation organized a demonstration at the Broken Chair in front of the United Nations in Geneva on Monday, demanding the release of Priya Kumari, a young girl who went missing three years ago from Sindh province, Pakistan. The protest coincided with the 56th Session of the UN Human Rights Council.

Munawar Sufi Laghari, Executive Director of the Sindhi Foundation, traveled from Washington, DC to Switzerland specifically for Priya Kumari’s case. He highlighted the urgency, stating that Priya Kumari was forcibly disappeared at the age of seven, and her whereabouts remain unknown. Laghari alleged that feudal lords, local elites, and possibly the Pakistani military are responsible for such disappearances, targeting Sindhi Hindus for ransom and to drive them out of Sindh.

Expressing determination, Laghari expressed hope that through ongoing efforts, Priya Kumari would eventually be found. He mentioned the Foundation’s previous protests in Toronto, the UK, and upcoming plans in the United States to garner support. Laghari called on the international community, particularly the UN, to initiate an independent investigation into Priya Kumari’s disappearance and similar cases.

Maqbool Channa, a Sindhi political activist from Manchester, UK, joined the protest and criticized the Pakistan Army and its intelligence agency, the ISI. He questioned the ISI’s reputation as the world’s strongest intelligence agency in light of Priya Kumari’s prolonged disappearance.