Scheduled castes Hindus persecutions in Pakistan
In Pakistan, Dalits are known as Scheduled castes which are 40 in Nos. (Presidential Ordinance to declare certain non-Muslim castes to be scheduled castes, issued on Nov.12, 1957 by Ministry of Law). Mostly in the majority, Meghwar [(Meghwal) also known as Harijan in District Tharparkar], Kohli, Bhil, Walmikis (Bhang’s), Oadhs, Bagri’s etc; these communities are most depressed class poorest of poor class in Pakistan society. Generally, their story is not much different from what is told about them in SAARC region. The social and cultural history of this disadvantaged/neglected community.
In Pakistan movement for the emancipation of this depressed class is not existent as compared with India and other SAARC countries. In Sindh Province of Pakistan these Dalits / Scheduled caste are concentrated in Mirpurkhas Division, i.e. Mirpurkhas, Umerkot, Sanghar, Tharparkar, Badin, however they are living in other parts Upper & lower Sindh and Southern Punjab (mostly Rahim yar khan Division (Cholistan) Siraiki belt), Lahore city and also scattered in other parts of Pakistan.
The list of Scheduled castes gazette issued on 12-11-1957.
1. Ad.Dharma 2.Bangali 3.Barar 4.Bawaria 5.Bazigar 6.Bhangi 7.Bhanjara 8.Bhil 9.Chamar 10.Chandal 11.Charan 12.Chuhra or Balmiki 13.Dagi and Kohli 14.Dhanak 15.Dhed 16.Dumna 17.Gagra 18.Gandhila 19.Halal-Khor 20.Jatia 21.Kalal 22.Khatik 23.Kohli 24.Kori 25.Kuchria 26.Mareja or Marecha 27.Megh (war) 28.Menghwar 29.Nat 30.Odh 31.Pasi 32.Perna 33.Ramdasi 34.Sansi 35.Sapela 36.Sarera 37.Shikari 38.Sirkiband 39.Sochi 40.Wagri
It can be said that in Pakistan problems of Scheduled castes are not identified nor basic data about them is collected and tabulated at the Government level but approximately the Dalits are 1.7499% of total population i.e. [ 2842349 out of 162419946 ( about 3 million) ].
No legislative measures have been considered by the Government.Although UN declaration of HR (1948) and fundamental rights and principles of policy are listed in Part II of the Pakistan constitution of 1973 provide both for recognition and eradication of discrimination and legal measures has been taken.
The untouchability is the major problem and exists in all over the world. We find untouchability, forced labour, (Beggar), Servitude, Slavery, Bonded Labour, to be too evident. About 80% of non-proprietor agriculture tenants in Sindh province are from Dalits (Scheduled caste).
Since last 20 years servitude of bonded tenants has surfaced and for whom the HRCP has fought and continue to fight and thousands have achieved freedom from forced Labour. They found in chains while foreign journalists have accompanied the police, Magistrate and Human Rights, activist. There are about 700 thousand families such scheduled caste families are engaged on forms owned by feudals and Zamindars.
In many parts of Pakistan, these Scheduled castes peoples are treated as Untouchables and no law has been paid punishing the practice of untouchability. No seats are exclusively reserved for them in National Assembly, Senate, Provincial Assemblies and nor any newly established District Government (Local Government System)
In Pakistan roughly 3 million are Dalits population, belonging to various castes, and are scattered in all over Pakistan.
In the speech, Mr. Muhammad Ali Jinnah the founder of Pakistan assured/declared that Muslim League would protect the rights of Dalits and he assured them of full security. Accordingly, Jogendra Nath Mandal a Dalit from East Pakistan was appointed as the leader of the constituent Assembly of Pakistan and first law minister of the country. It means that Jinnah was genuine in his concern (Jinnah was Khwaja by profession the businessman Skins of halal or dead animals). [The Quaid had also give 6% job quota in the Federal services to the scheduled castes. But in 1998 Nawaz Sharif Government converted the Scheduled caste job quota into Minorities Quota due to the influence of Upper caste Hindu and Christian MNA’s in National Assembly session.] However things begin to change after Jinnah’s death and in 1953 Mandal resigned from cabinet and migrated To India. This was an indication of the growing intolerance towards minorities/Dalits in the post Jinnah Pakistan. Now days minorities lead a bleak existence in Pakistan, the worst sufferers among them, being the country’s Dalit Dalits of Pakistan are the unfortunate people having no political leadership.
About 90% of Pakistan Dalits work as land less agriculture (means on ½ or 3/4 share), labourers and sweepers in urban areas. In the urban areas the huts of sweepers (valmiki) are located in the separate settlement. In rural areas, the huts of Dalits are located in separate settlements outside the main village and they generally lack even basic amenities like water supply, drainage, telephone, road, transport facility etc. A large number of Dalits also led a nomadic existence, travelling from village to village in search of a job. Many Dalits live in the temporary structure in the lands of landlords for whom they work and they can be expelled from there when ever the landlords wish, having no little to the land. They generally earn a pittance and often forced into free labour by powerful (police patella or supported) upper caste Hindus (Thakurs) and also Muslim feudal lords. Many Dalits eke out a miserable existence as bonded labourers, being heavily indebted to landlords and money lenders (Banias). If they protest against false indebt ness or refuse to give the free labour, the false fictitious police cases lodged against them and the police don’t protect them. Local Administration (police, Revenue and Judiciary) get the bribe from them and routinely harass them and supports to Upper caste and even forcibly take away their cattle and other such belongings. This type of practice exists in all over Pakistan but mostly in practice in Chachro, Nagar park, Diplo, Mithi, Tehsils District Tharparkar and now a days it is on peak point because Arbab Ghulam Rahim is Chief Minister of Sindh Province whose mother is Thakurs family and he is Sardar of Nohrio Brotheris and alliance with all other castes like as Sameja, Sama, Khosa, Nareja, Dohat, Rahooman, Sangrasi, Thakurs and other Baloch tribes who are settled in Tharparkar and follows him and he or his relatives give the protection through police and Administration.
Land mafia in big cities like Hyderabad, Karachi, Lahore, Sukkur, Jaccobabad often forcibly grab the land on which Dalits setup their huts and in other rural areas of Tharparkar the land of upper caste Hindus who have been migrated to India in war 1971 & 1965 cultivating Dalits since last 40 years with the collision of land revenue official (Patwari).
In most places Dalits have no temples and have no/little places for burns the dead bodies. In big cities some parts were reserved for Dalits now they have been come into the centre and many of these (graveyards & Temples) illegally occupied by local influential Muslims.
In Primary Schools in the villages, dalit students discriminated from the first day when he enrolled, the Muslim or upper caste Hindu teacher writes his half name with his fathers name and routinely faces discrimination and not allowed to sit on the wooden bench and to use utensils that are used by other students. Dalit students are often badly treated by upper caste Muslim teachers up to college level from where branches divide to Professional Education. If a one Dalit student is more intelligent he gets nice marks in theory then he will be pushed back in practical/viva voce and he can’t be successful in his aim. Despite being the poorest of the poor, they don’t receive any scholarships from Government in the name of Scheduled caste scholarship. Further, owing to desperate poverty few % of Dalits can afford to send their children for higher education, and generally, children withdrawn from schools at an early age to engage in manual work to help supplement the family’s meagre income. In many cases, Dalits don’t send their girls to school/College/University fearing that they might be kidnapped, rapped, or forcibly convert to Islam.
In towns and cities, Dalits generally live in the poorest / non-developed / in squalid slums. There are no organisations working among them for their welfare, and lacking a strong political leadership of their own, they are not able to effectively assert their voice in demanding their rights from the state or from the upper castes dominated society. Many of Dalits have no Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC) and could not get due to complicated method or bribe, so that can not access various Government Development/support schemes or programmes. Because of acute poverty, rampant illiteracy, discrimination, and the absence of Dalit movements as in India, Dalits in Pakistan have no political influence at all. Mostly Dalits are not allowed to freely vote for the candidate of their own choice or contest in election freely. They are often forced by powerful upper caste Hindus and Muslims of any caste land lords to vote for particular candidates, and if they refused they are pressurised into leaving their homes or beaten up or false/fictitious police cases lodged against them.
Because of acute poverty, rampant illiteracy, discrimination, and the absence of Dalit movements as in India, Dalits in Pakistan have no political influence at all. Mostly Dalits are not allowed to freely vote for the candidate of their own choice or contest in election freely. They are often forced by powerful upper caste Hindus and Muslims of any caste land lords to vote for particular candidates, and if they refused they are pressurised into leaving their homes or beaten up or false/fictitious police cases lodged against them.
The problem of Dalit political marginalisation is complicated by the acute division among the Dalits, with various Dalit castes practising untouchability among them themselves. For its part, the Pakistan state prefers to promote the economically and socially more influential upper caste Hindus as leader of the Hindus instead of trying to promote an alternate Dalit Leadership which is high % in the population of another upper caste Hindus. In new parliament System President of Pakistan has announced the joint Electoral system and seats reserved for Non-Muslims (0/100) in Senate, (10/342) in National Assembly, Provincial Assemblies 1.Punjab (8/371), 2.Sindh (9/168), 3.NWFP (3/124), 4.Balochistan (3/65). The selection Methodology of Non-Muslims was the nomination by Election contesting Political parties. In Pakistan there are 3 big parties, Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarian (PPPP), Muslim League (Nawaz), Muslim League (Q), out of these only one ML (N) given ticket to dalit Mr.Kirshan lal Bhil in National Assembly, and in Sindh (PA) MQM has given ticket to Mr.Poonjo mal Bhil, but both are crippled they can not support to their dalit brothers.
In Pakistan Dalits like other minorities are also victims of religious discrimination by Muslims. In eateries matters in the rural areas of Sindh owned by both upper castes Hindus (who have power) as well as Muslims, Dalits are forced to use separate utensils marked on word dalit caste (Kolhi, Meghwar, Bhil),broken and are expected to wash them themselves after use. When they visit hospitals, for treatment they generally left unattended and being considered as untouchables, are not allowed to touch utensils meant for public use there.
In District Tharparkar and other parts of Sindh untouchability is at par even Hindu or Muslim Barbour (Naie / Hajam) doesn’t shaving/tonsure of Dalits such type of practice is still remains in rural area and small towns of Sindh. In district Tharparkar near to border line of India in villages Dalits have no right to fetch the water from well of upper caste Hindus/Muslims they can’t graze their cattle in the land without their permission, they can’t wear any good quality cloth, turban, their females cannot wear golden/silver ornaments they cant ride on horse/camel at the time of wedding ceremony they cannot sit on cot in their homes, though in the Otaque/houses of upper caste Hindus / Muslims gives/allows no any chair, cot, Farasi, Dari. In some cases they are not allowed to sit in the open space without any carpet (Farasi) where dogs and donkeys move and excrete without any restriction.
What to Govt should do:
1. The Government of Pakistan should try to insert “Treatment towards Dalits” in SAARC countries as one of the barometers to judge SAARC members’ commitment to human rights and its International Reputation as a nation.
2. The Government of Pakistan should launch a caste-wise and even sub-caste wise census operation to enumerate the different castes and sub-caste of the different Scheduled Caste / ST/Backward Castes.
3. The Government of Pakistan should allocate separate seats in the Parliament for Scheduled Castes as per their population ratio to ensure their voice is heard at the National level. Four seats in National Assembly, Four in Sindh Assembly, two in Punjab Assembly and one each in NWFP and Balochistan Assemblies exclusively for Scheduled Castes.
4. The Government of Pakistan should constitute a National Commission on Scheduled Castes to hear the complaints of caste and racial discrimination and take necessary and required action.
5. The Government of Pakistan should ensure justifiable representation of Dalits in National institutions and Departments like PIAC, Banks, DFIs, Pakistan Steel, etc. and jobs in both Federal, Provincial and District governments.
6. The Government of Pakistan should allot land to landless Dalit peasants on the priority basis and get vacated their ancestral lands fraudulently occupied by upper caste Hindu / Muslims people in Tharparker district or where ever they have.
7. The Government of Pakistan should create a separate fund for helping the destitute, orphans, widows and poor individuals of Scheduled Castes under the Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal / Social Welfare as per their population ratio, and Scholarships to the Scheduled caste students.
8. The Government of Pakistan should protect the Scheduled Castes from being threatened, exploited, victimised, and dislodged from their ancestral abodes by the other caste people on any pretext, which is directly or indirectly connected to caste prejudice, by providing them easy access to legal remedies.
