On the eve of World Human Rights Day, December 9, 2025, an urgent warning echoed from Frankfurt to New Delhi. Shafi Burfat, the exiled chairman of the banned Jeay Sindh Muttahida Mahaz (JSMM), issued a detailed open letter to India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, sounding the alarm over Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal and what he described as the dangerous consolidation of power by a radicalised military elite. The letter, sent just as the world’s attention turned to human rights, has sparked fresh debate over the security of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons and the fate of minority regions like Sindh.
Burfat’s message was blunt and uncompromising. According to Moneycontrol, he wrote, “The danger is no longer terrorists capturing Pakistan's nuclear arsenal, but the extremists already positioned at the highest levels of control.” Burfat’s claim is that Pakistan’s nuclear weapons are now effectively under the command of a “jihadi-influenced military leadership,” specifically under Field Marshal Asim Munir, who currently serves as both Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces. This, he argues, represents a fundamental shift in the nature of the threat emanating from Pakistan’s nuclear program.
“With deep respect and an unshakable commitment to peace, dignity, and regional stability, I submit this comprehensive appeal on behalf of the people of Sindh, an ancient civilization, a distinct nation, and a people who today stand at the frontline of suffering under Pakistan’s militarized, extremist-driven, and structurally artificial state system,” Burfat stated in his letter, as reported by Moneycontrol and Berlin News. For Burfat and his followers, the issue is not just political—it’s existential.
He described Pakistan as an “artificial, extremism-driven state” and a “Punjabi-dominated military colony,” where, in his words, “institutions serve the army rather than the diverse population.” The letter alleges systematic political repression in Sindh, including enforced disappearances, censorship, and the exploitation of the province’s natural resources. Burfat further claimed that nuclear warheads are being secretly stored in Sindh and Balochistan, putting millions of civilians at risk, a charge that, while difficult to independently verify, has added urgency to his appeal.
Burfat’s letter, sent from exile in Frankfurt, comes at a moment of growing concern over the increasing power of Pakistan’s military. Field Marshal Asim Munir has not only consolidated his role as Chief of Army Staff but has also taken on the position of Chief of Defence Forces, giving him unprecedented control over national policy, internal security, and political processes. According to Burfat, this concentration of power has effectively sidelined civilian institutions, leaving the fate of Pakistan—and its nuclear arsenal—in the hands of a military command structure he describes as being influenced by a “jihadi worldview.”
“The alarming truth is that extremism now occupies the highest command of Pakistan’s military structure itself,” Burfat warned, according to Berlin News. He accused Munir of embodying “an openly radicalised ideological orientation, a jihadist-influenced worldview, a deeply confrontational mindset, a rigid, anti-democratic, anti-civilizational perspective.” Under such leadership, he argued, “Pakistan’s nuclear weapons are not secure. They are not rationally controlled. They are susceptible to ideological misuse. They pose an existential risk to regional and global peace.”
Burfat’s accusations did not stop at the top of the military hierarchy. He alleged that the Pakistani military establishment has, for decades, used “religious extremism” as an official instrument of state strategy, creating and funding jihadist organizations, training militants for cross-border terrorism in India, and supporting extremist networks in the Kashmir region. As he put it, “A stable future for the region is impossible as long as Pakistan’s extremist state structure and its toxic presence continue to endanger neighbouring nations, regional stability, and humanity at large.”
In a strategic twist, Burfat positioned Sindh as India’s “civilisational partner” and “natural ally.” He urged Prime Minister Modi to raise concerns about Pakistan’s nuclear command, state-sponsored extremism, and human rights abuses at international forums, including the United Nations, BRICS, G20, and QUAD. According to Moneycontrol, he called for global oversight of Pakistan’s nuclear facilities and for international advocacy supporting the right to self-determination for Sindhis, Baloch, and Pashtuns. For Burfat, the liberation of Sindh is not just a matter of local politics—it’s a strategic imperative for regional security and the reduction of extremism in South Asia.
Burfat’s letter also referenced recent comments by India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who in November 2025 remarked that while Sindh is not part of India today, “borders can change. Who knows, tomorrow Sindh may return to India again. Our people of Sindh, who hold the Indus River sacred, will always be our own.” For Burfat, these remarks serve as evidence of New Delhi’s recognition of Sindh’s historical and cultural ties to India and, perhaps, as a subtle encouragement for further Indian engagement on the Sindh issue.
Concluding his impassioned appeal, Burfat wrote, “The civilised world must expose, confront, and dismantle this dangerous system. Until Pakistan’s extremism, terrorism, and irresponsible nuclear posture are eliminated, its existence will remain a perpetual threat to the region and to global peace.” He added, “We appeal to you with the confidence that India, the land of justice, democracy and old civilization, will stand with those oppressed nations who seek freedom from tyranny.”
As of December 10, 2025, India’s Ministry of External Affairs had not yet commented on Burfat’s letter. Nevertheless, the appeal has intensified international scrutiny of Pakistan’s civil-military imbalance and the security risks posed by its nuclear arsenal, especially amid rising internal instability and jihadi violence. It remains to be seen how New Delhi and the broader international community will respond to these warnings, but the urgency and gravity of Burfat’s message are hard to ignore.
In a region long plagued by suspicion and rivalry, Burfat’s letter is a stark reminder of the high stakes involved—not just for Sindh, but for all of South Asia. As the world marks another Human Rights Day, the question of who controls Pakistan’s nuclear weapons, and to what end, is once again front and center. The coming weeks may reveal whether this urgent call will spark diplomatic action or become just another footnote in the ongoing saga of South Asia’s security dilemmas.
