Jamshoro [Pakistan], March 5 : The police baton-charged and lobbed tear gas shells at students of Sindh University in Pakistan's Jamshoro on Tuesday who were protesting against the construction of water channels intended to irrigate millions of acres of Punjab land using Indus River water.
Many protesting students were injured and arrested due to police brutality. The students belonged to the Jeay Sindh Students Federation (JSSF) and Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz (JSQM) Bashir and Arisar factions, along with other nationalist entities.
According to Dawn, "The police tried to disperse them by force, but the students retaliated." The police then used tear gas and baton charge, picking up around 8-10 protesting students, which included Nazeer Khoso, Mansoor Buledi, Wazir Leghari, Asghar, Yousuf Jakhrani, Nasem Memon and Yasir Burfat, the report further said.
The Chairman of the Jeay Sindh Freedom Movement (JSFM), Suhail Abro, issued a statement strongly condemning the brutal state repression, including shelling, baton charges, open firing, and violent crackdowns on Sindh University students.
"The students' protest against the forced construction of canals on the Indus River is their constitutional, legal, and democratic right," a press statement by JSFM said. It added, "However, the state has once again attempted to silence their voices through oppressive measures, which constitute a blatant violation of human rights and international law."
The JSFM statement further added, "This brutality is not merely an assault on a few students but is part of continued state aggression against Sindh's national identity and existence. The state has consistently implemented policies aimed at seizing Sindh's lands, resources, and river. However, as in the past, the conscious youth, students, and people of Sindh refuse to accept such oppression and will continue to resist it in the future."
The Indus River is the lifeline of Sindh, and it is the national duty of every Sindhi to fight for its survival. The violent crackdown, illegal arrests, and state repression of students represent extreme brutality, according to JSFM statement. However, such oppression will not weaken their resolve; instead, it will further strengthen their struggle.
The JSFM urged the United Nations (UN), Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and other global human rights organizations to take immediate notice of Pakistan's state oppression and hold accountable the institutions responsible for these human rights violations.
"We call upon journalists, lawyers, intellectuals, civil society members, human rights activists, and the conscious people of Sindh to raise their voices against this brutality and stand in full solidarity with Sindhi students," the JSFM statement said.
The Jeay Sindh Freedom Movement reaffirmed that Sindhi students are an essential and powerful part of the national movement. We will ensure their full political, moral, and practical protection under all circumstances. The national movement of Sindh stands firmly with its students and will continue to support them in every possible way.
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