Bloodbath feared: I.S.I. assigns the Tehreek Labbaik Pakistan mullahs to attack peace loving Sindhis

The Sindh Tolerance March Sunday was being planned for many weeks now but Saturday the I.S.I.’s pocket organization T.L.P. announced it will hold the rally exactly at the same place Sunday.

Sindhi feminist and human rights defender Sindhoo Nawaz Ghanghro receiving the traditional Sindhi Ajrak from a member of Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum.

A tigress of Sindh has expressed her resolve to hold a peace march in Karachi even as Pakistan’s infamous Inter-Services Intelligence (I.S.I.), which U.S. analysts believe hid Osama bin Laden for almost a decade, appears to have decided to punish the rebel soul of Sindh.

The spy service had given its toady organization Tehreek Labbaik Pakistan (T.L.P) the go-ahead to thwart the Sindh Tolerance March by the Rawadari Committee or Tolerance Committee, led by Sindhoo Nawaz Ghanghro.

The committee members have been meeting with different civil society leaders throughout the province for more than two weeks now to ask them to attend Sunday’s march. The main aim of the march was seeking justice for the extrajudicial killing and burning of body of Shaheed Dr. Shahnawaz Kunbhar, after he was accused of blasphemy last month.

Just one day ahead of the march, the T.L.P. Karachi announced it will hold its rally to defend the police officers involved in the extrajudicial killing at the same venue around the same time of the peace march.

To avert any clashes between the two sides the Sindh government imposed a ban on any type of gatherings in Karachi for five days, from October 13 to October 17.

“The march will take place no matter what ✊” Ghanghro declared on Facebook, making a fist sign. She expressed the resolve even as federal Rangers sepoys were seen posted atop buildings at the Teen Talwar — a traffic roundabout with three swords in it— in Clifton. “We are Three Swords,” Supreme Court lawyer Javed Qazi posted, indicating he will be there.

Tigress of Naushero Feroz, Sindhoo Nawaz Ghanghro, undeterred by the mullahs threat and government ban, says the march will take place as planned Sunday.

Sindhi civil society members informed this writer thru WhatsApp the I.S.I. clearly wants a bloodbath.

According to Ghanghro, the Sindh Rawadari March represents a sustained, long-term commitment to safeguarding the very soul of Sindh.

In a Press release, the Rawadari Committee said, “For centuries, Sindh’s identity has been shaped by its secular and Sufi traditions—values that champion peace, tolerance, and inclusivity. Today, these values are under siege.”

"We are marching against the rising tide of religious extremism in Sindh and demanding justice for the extrajudicial murder of Dr. Shahnawaz,” the organization said.

Rightful heir to the Bhutto dynasty, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Jr., along with top notch Sindhi intellectuals, social activists and lawyers have plans to attend the Sindh Tolerance March Sunday.

Bhutto’s father Murtaza Bhutto was shot dead allegedly by the Military Intelligence not far from the starting point of Sunday’s march Sept 20, 1996 when he was just six years old.

Shaheed Dr. Kunbhar was killed extrajudicially by the police and extremists burned his body after snatching it from his family members on their own land in Umerkot September 19.

The Rawadari Committee says its collective struggle is not only about preserving this region's diverse heritage—its cultures, religions, nations, and languages—but also about building a future society free from discrimination and inequality. This struggle transcends generations, standing in defense of the principles that will shape the Sindh of tomorrow.

The Sindh Tolerance March is to start Sunday 3:00 pm from the Teen Talwar roundabout and end at the Karachi Press Club.

“The Sindhi secular intelligentsia has prepared itself for any untoward situation. So a showdown is inevitable tomorrow between Teen Talwar (Three Swords) to Karachi Press Club,” said former additional advocate general of Sindh, Barrister Mustafa Mahesar.

The main demands of the marchers were a judicial inquiry into the extrajudicial killing of Dr. Shahnawaz Kunbhar and the immediate arrest of all police personnel involved, including the DIG, SSPs, SHOs, and constables, as well as Mullah Umar Sarhandi, who incited violence by placing a bounty on Dr. Shahnawaz Kunbhar’s life, as noted in the FIR filed by his family.

They also demanded disciplinary action against member of National Assembly, Pir Ameer Ali Shah Jeelani the revocation of his party membership from the Pakistan People’s Party for celebrating the extrajudicial murder of Shaheed Dr. Kunbhar. Jeelani also participated in the Umerkot rally of religious groups that spread hate speech and instilled fear among minorities, particularly the 60 percent Hindu population of Umerkot.

The P.P.P. has been tasked to handle civilian affairs in Sindh and Balochistan by a military-designed power sharing formula.

Weirdly, under I.S.I. tutelage arch rivals the Zardaris of Sindh and the Sharifs of Punjab have joined hands after sham elections early this year whose main aim was to keep former premier Imran Khan out of power. The former prime minister life is in serious harms way — the co-chairs of the Pakistan Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives Tom Suozzi and Jack Bergman demanded of U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to ensure Khan stays safe.

The Rawadari Committee also called for action against individuals inciting violence through hate speech under the guise of religious expression, spreading religious hatred, and fostering division and fear among minorities. This includes filing FIRs against those who announce bounties on people's lives and obstruct the due process of law on alleged charges.

A land of peace, love and hospitality, Sindh is steeped in Buddhist and Hindu philosophies and even today they greet guests in the Buddhist-Hindu style of clasping their hands. Despite the Arab conquest in 712 AD, the dominant Muslim thought in Sindh was shaped by Sufi poets such as Sachal Sarmast, Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai, Rohal Faqir and many others who believed in live and let live.

Killing for blasphemy has taken place in all other provinces but the people there accepted them as fait accompli because of the fear of religious fanatics. “Blasphemy-related murders have occurred across Pakistan, but Sindh stands out for actively rejecting this cruel practice,” said senior journalist Anwar Iqbal. “Salute to Sindh for its courage!”

I.S.I. backed mullahs announcing they will thwart the peace rally.

The new I.S.I. chief Lt. Gen. Asim Malik shares the Barelvi belief with the T.L.P. Mumtaz Qadri, who was hanged for the high profile killing of former Governor Salman Taseer for blasphemy was a Barelvi. Gen. Malik has already shown little tolerance for peaceful struggle as he outlawed the largely peaceful Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (P.T.M.) within a week of assuming his charge September 30 and has ordered a crackdown on P.T.M. gatherings.

Gen. Malik also stopped legendary Baloch human rights activist Dr. Mahrang Baloch from traveling to New York to receive a “TIME 100next” award. Dr. Baloch was honored by TIME editor in chief Sam Jacobs in her absence.

Just like the Pakistan military, the T.L.P. says its main aim is to defend Pakistan and its ideological frontiers.

Locally, the Sindhi peace activists appear to be engaged in a David and Goliath struggle since the most powerful politician from Sindh, President Zardari, unlike the rebellious Bhuttos, has the reputation of meekly following the I.S.I. dictation. He is widely believed to have ordered his two kids in politics, Bilawal Zardari and Aseefa Zardari, both of who are members of parliament and use the Bhutto middle name, to keep quiet on the Dr. Kunbhar tragedy. Years ago Zardari was conspicuous by his absence in the funeral of his comrade in arms, Punjab governor Taseer, in the backdrop of threats by the religious right.

This is not the first time the I.S.I. has used non state actors against the people of Sindh. The spy service propped up the ethnic Mohajir Qaumi Movement, which for three decades ruled over Karachi, killing thousands through terror.

Since Pakistan military relies heavily on U.S. support, Pakistanis are pointing fingers at U.S. Ambassador Donald Blome and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken for encouraging the Pakistan military and I.S.I. to do what they want in Pakistan.

Blome arranged a meeting of Pakistan army chief Gen. Asim Munir and then I.S.I. chief Lt. Gen. Nadeem Anjum with Blinken last December at the Foggy Bottom headquarters of the U.S. State Department. The U.S. ambassador flew in the same plane with the Pakistani generals to facilitate the meeting.

UPDATE: The Karachi commissioner bans any gathering to avert an untoward incident.