Abstract
This study inquires the political, cultural and economic
grievances of indigenous Sindhis and role of the actual or
perceived injustices for the rise of Sindhi ethno-nationalism.
One-Unit was a scheme introduced by the Pakistani
government to amalgamate all the areas of West Pakistan in a
single province. Its implementation deprived existing provinces
of their autonomy. The defunct provinces were not mere
administrative units but were historical homelands of
communities possessing distinctive ethno-cultural identities.
Hence, it was not only a loss of political autonomy but was also
a loss of identity for the people of smaller provinces. Larger
proportion of One-Unit population belonged to the former
province of Punjab. Punjabis also formed the most advanced
ethnic group of West Pakistan. So their dominance in OneUnit’s administration, economy and politics was quite obvious.
The government was compelled to abandon the One-Unit
scheme after a decade and a half because of the resolute
opposition by smaller provinces nevertheless it left bitter
memories. Indigenous population of Sindh akin to people of
other smaller provinces considered the One-Unit period as the
bitterest experience of their history. It is abominated as the
colonial period during which people had to face many
suffering and lead a miserable life. That strengthened ethnonationalists sentiment among indigenous Sindhis. The
perceptions of Sindhis’ exploitation are how much based on
reality demand a comprehensive investigation based on
empirical pieces of evidence
Sultan Mubariz Khan, Misbah Shaheen . (2020) One-Unit Period and Sindh: A Bitter Reminiscence, Pakistan Social Sciences Review, Volume 4, Issue 1.
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