NA passes resolution against Indian defence minister’s remarks on Sindh

The National Assembly passed a resolution condemning recent remarks by Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sindh, calling his statement an attack on Pakistan’s sovereignty.

The resolution, moved by Pakistan Peoples Party lawmaker Aslam Alam Niazi, during a session with Speaker Ayaz Sadiq in the chair, declared the Indian minister’s comments ‘highly condemnable’ and asserted that the statement constituted ‘an assault on Pakistan’s sovereignty’.

The resolution further stated that ‘Sindh is an inseparable part of Pakistan’, reaffirming the province’s constitutional and historical status within the federation. Members of the assembly expressed strong disapproval of what they described as India’s interference in Pakistan’s internal matters.

During Thursday’s sitting, the National Assembly also passed several bills, including the King Hamad University of Nursing and Associated Medical Sciences (Amendment) Bill 2025.

Read More: FO slams Rajnath Singh’s ‘delusional’ remarks on Sindh

Sindh Assembly condemns Rajnath Singh’s statement

The Sindh Assembly also passed a joint resolution condemning a ‘provocative’ statement by Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who recently claimed that Sindh was historically part of India. The resolution — tabled jointly by the treasury and opposition benches — was unanimously approved by all lawmakers.

The resolution was moved by PPP Minister Mukesh Chawla. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Zia Lanjar told the House that the opposition had endorsed the measure, making it a joint resolution. MQM’s Mahesh Kumar Haseeja read the text on the floor.

Speaking in the Assembly, Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah condemned Singh’s remarks as ‘highly provocative and unfounded’. He said, Sindh’s history predates the pre-Islamic era, with ancient Sindh stretching across regions including Multan and Makran. He noted that the Sindh chapter of the Muslim League was among the first to support the creation of Pakistan.

Referring to Singh as a minister ‘born in Uttar Pradesh and unaware of the Indus heritage’, Shah described the comments as a sign of frustration. “Whoever has drunk the water of the Indus cannot betray this land,” he said, adding that Sindh is an integral part of Pakistan. He urged the federal government to circulate the resolution internationally to draw world’s attention to India’s designs on the Indus River.

Opposition Leader Ali Khurshidi also endorsed the resolution, saying Pakistan’s armed forces had given a ‘befitting response’ to Indian aggression. He assured the House that the opposition supported the move beyond political differences.

Provincial Minister Saeed Ghani said Pakistan’s armed forces and people bravely defeated India in the recent conflict. Education Minister Sardar Shah called Singh’s statement ‘ignorant’, noting Sindh’s 6,000-year-old history. He remarked, if India laid claim to Sindh, Pakistan could similarly claim Gujarat and Haryana.

MQM’s Muhammad Wasim advised India to ‘stop dreaming’ and accept reality, while PPP’s Giyan Chand Essrani said India’s leadership appeared ‘gripped with fear’. Other lawmakers from the Sunni Ittehad Council, MQM and Jamaat-e-Islami also condemned the Indian defence minister’s remarks.

Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, speaking at an event in New Delhi a few days earlier, had said: “The land of Sindh is not part of India today, but culturally, Sindh has always remained a part of India.”

He added that borders ‘keep changing’, saying, “No one knows whether Sindh may become part of India again tomorrow. The people of Sindh, the owners of the Indus River, will always remain ours. It does not matter where they live; they will always be ours.”

Singh further said former BJP leader L.K. Advani had written that Sindhi Hindus, particularly those of his generation, had never accepted Sindh’s separation from India. He also claimed that Hindus across India consider the River Indus sacred.