World Sindhi Institute
Encyclopedia
The World Sindhi Institute (WSI) is a human rights
organization
based in Washington DC, United States
.
The organization is a certified 501(c), non-profit. The organization's main purpose is to bring the attention of the international community
's attention to the present-day political situation in Sindh
, Pakistan
's southeastern province
.
federalism
and provincial autonomy
based on the original covenant between the provinces of Pakistan
, namely the Muslim League Lahore Resolution
of 1940, which was the basis for the establishment for the state
of Pakistan.
This resolution envisaged full provincial autonomy for each of the federating units allowing the center to have control of currency
, foreign affairs and defence related communication. Over the last 60 years since Pakistan achieved independence from British Rule
, there has been a steady decline in the autonomy of the provinces with a corresponding increase in the powers of the central government; resistance to a strong center and promotion of Sindh's legitimate rights of self governance, linguistic
and cultural rights has been the hallmark of the WSI's goals.
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
organization
Organization
An organization is a social group which distributes tasks for a collective goal. The word itself is derived from the Greek word organon, itself derived from the better-known word ergon - as we know `organ` - and it means a compartment for a particular job.There are a variety of legal types of...
based in Washington DC, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
The organization is a certified 501(c), non-profit. The organization's main purpose is to bring the attention of the international community
International community
The international community is a term used in international relations to refer to all peoples, cultures and governments of the world or to a group of them. The term is used to imply the existence of common duties and obligations between them...
's attention to the present-day political situation in Sindh
Sindh
Sindh historically referred to as Ba'ab-ul-Islam , is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhi people. It is also locally known as the "Mehran". Though Muslims form the largest religious group in Sindh, a good number of Christians, Zoroastrians and Hindus can...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
's southeastern province
Province
A province is a territorial unit, almost always an administrative division, within a country or state.-Etymology:The English word "province" is attested since about 1330 and derives from the 13th-century Old French "province," which itself comes from the Latin word "provincia," which referred to...
.
History
The WSI is a relatively new organization founded on March 14, 1997. It was established by members of the Sindhi Diaspora and continues to hire new contributors, members and volunteers through donations.Political goals
The WSI favors genuineGenuine
Genuine is the debut album of Christian teen pop singer Stacie Orrico, released in 2000 on Forefront Records. Orrico set a record in first week sales for a Christian female debut selling 13,000 copies. The album had six hit singles on Christian charts and radio. The song "Don't Look At Me" was...
federalism
Federalism
Federalism is a political concept in which a group of members are bound together by covenant with a governing representative head. The term "federalism" is also used to describe a system of the government in which sovereignty is constitutionally divided between a central governing authority and...
and provincial autonomy
Autonomy
Autonomy is a concept found in moral, political and bioethical philosophy. Within these contexts, it is the capacity of a rational individual to make an informed, un-coerced decision...
based on the original covenant between the provinces of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, namely the Muslim League Lahore Resolution
Lahore Resolution
The Lahore Resolution , commonly known as the Pakistan Resolution , was a formal political statement adopted by the Muslim League at the occasion of its three-day general session on 22–24 March 1940 that called for greater Muslim autonomy in British India...
of 1940, which was the basis for the establishment for the state
Sovereign state
A sovereign state, or simply, state, is a state with a defined territory on which it exercises internal and external sovereignty, a permanent population, a government, and the capacity to enter into relations with other sovereign states. It is also normally understood to be a state which is neither...
of Pakistan.
This resolution envisaged full provincial autonomy for each of the federating units allowing the center to have control of currency
Currency
In economics, currency refers to a generally accepted medium of exchange. These are usually the coins and banknotes of a particular government, which comprise the physical aspects of a nation's money supply...
, foreign affairs and defence related communication. Over the last 60 years since Pakistan achieved independence from British Rule
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
, there has been a steady decline in the autonomy of the provinces with a corresponding increase in the powers of the central government; resistance to a strong center and promotion of Sindh's legitimate rights of self governance, linguistic
Natural language
In the philosophy of language, a natural language is any language which arises in an unpremeditated fashion as the result of the innate facility for language possessed by the human intellect. A natural language is typically used for communication, and may be spoken, signed, or written...
and cultural rights has been the hallmark of the WSI's goals.