Geneva The World Sindhi Congress (WSC) organised the Sindh Conference 2026 in Geneva, bringing together scholars, researchers, human-rights activists and civil-society representatives to discuss political, social, economic, environmental and human-rights issues concerning Sindh. The conference was held under the theme “Sindh at Crossroads: Defending Its Territorial Integrity, Human Rights, Environmental Justice and the Right to Self-Determination.” Speakers discussed civil and political rights, democratic participation, alleged enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings, minority rights, water insecurity, environmental degradation, resource distribution and cultural identity. Human rights expert Dr Joseph Chongsi spoke about the principle of self-determination and its relevance to communities facing political marginalisation. WSC representative Rauf Leghari raised concerns over the distribution of Indus River waters and its reported effects on Sindh. He referred to water shortages, seawater intrusion into farmland and deterioration of the Indus Delta, citing claims that around 1.2 million acres of fertile land have been affected by seawater intrusion. Human-rights activist Arif Aaajkia opposed proposals for dividing Sindh and called for greater consideration of provincial resource generation in the distribution of National Finance Commission resources. Other speakers highlighted alleged enforced disappearances, missing persons and alleged extrajudicial killings. Sarang Sindhi of Voice of Missing Persons Sindh raised these concerns, while WSC Executive Committee member Hafeezan Wadhio stressed the importance of Sindh’s territorial and cultural integrity. Dr Hidayat Bhutto spoke about religious minorities, fundamental rights and the rule of law. Dr Shagufta Gul discussed issues affecting women and children, including gender-based violence and child abuse. In his keynote address, WSC Chairperson Dr Lakhu Luhana presented the organisation’s historical perspective on Pakistan’s creation and its reported consequences for Sindh’s culture, language, identity and territorial integrity. He also alleged exploitation of the province’s natural resources. The conference concluded with calls for greater international attention to alleged rights violations, stronger protection of democratic and minority rights, transparent resource governance and urgent action on water and environmental concerns. The organisers said they would continue pursuing these issues through peaceful, democratic and international human-rights mechanisms.