Sindhi Congress condemns role of Pak People’s Party in cutting Karoonjhar mountain as “act of Ecocide”

Islamabad [Pakistan], July 29 (ANI): The World Sindhi Congress (WSC) has called the role of Pakistan People’s Party in alleged cutting of Karoonjhar mountain as “repulsive and criminal” and an “act of Ecocide.”

Karoonjhar Mountains, which are located on the southeastern edge of the Tharparkar district in Sindh, are also home to some heritage and religious sites especially Hindu temples.
The practice of mountain cutting has been prevalent here since many years and the World Sindhi Congress has said that it is “gravely concerned about it and strongly condemns it.”

In a tweet, WSC said that it considers the “cutting of Karoonjhar mountain in any shape, form, and to any extent as an act of Ecocide, the deliberate destruction of natural environment.”

“WSC strongly condemns the criminal and repulsive role of Peoples Party government in this matter,” the tweet added.

Lashing out at the People’s Party, WSC said that the party first announced an open auction for the cutting of Karoonjhar and when Sindhi people unanimously rose in protest of the “hideous act,” they the party withdrawn the auction notice but then two PP ministers, according to WSC said that the “cutting of Karoonjhar will continue without harming its beauty.”

WSC also called it the “ill intention of the PP regime to carry out their evil designs.”

The tweet also drew attention to the fact that granite has largely been cut off illegally, which was not possible without the government’s approval.

The 19-kilometers-long-range, which reaches a height of 305 meters, once contained vaste deposits of granite and Chinese clay.

“The evidence exists that shows that the granite has widely been carved off illegally, which cannot happen without the tacit approval of the government,” WSC tweeted.

It is important to note that Karoonjhar mountain is not only of exceptional natural beauty but also sustains living and livelihood of hundreds of thousands of people and other species. For Sindhi people it is a symbol of immense sentimental love, containing ecosystems that evolved over hundreds of millions of years, remnants of sacred places and is part of thousands of years history, culture, and heritage of Sindhi people, according to WSC.

“Destroying a site like Karoonjhar is criminal under the international laws on natural habitats, environment, and sustainable development,” said the tweet.

WSC has demanded from the government to “come clean on this and announce that no further cutting of Karoonjhar will be carried out.”

WSC has also demanded that Karoonjhar should be declared as a National Park and government “should take action to declare Karoonjhar as a Natural World Heritage Site.”

WSC has also requested all the Sindhi political parties, all institutions, and individuals to further their struggle to save Karoonjhar.

This issue will be raised with the United Nations, International Union for Conservation of Nature and other relevant intergovernmental and governmental organisation requesting them to press upon Pakistan to stop this crime against Karoonjhar, a site of collective human heritage, said the WSC.