ABBAS KASSAR
HYDERABAD: 72 peasants liberated under orders of Sindh High Court Hyderabad from private jail of landlord Zubair Sahto of Umerkot. SHO police station Soofi Faqir after liberating 72 persons of peasant families produced them in Sindh High Court on 20 June 2014 who ordered to set them free. The liberated persons mostly women and children staged protest demonstration in front of press club Hyderabad where Teekum Kolhi, Shrimati Ladu, Mohin, Shewajee Shrimati Pholan told that they had migrated from Tharparkar due to drought and settled at lands of landlord Zubair Sahto and have worked on his farmlans for last 10 years.
But they have not been paid their share cropping since last 10 years and kept them in his private jails under excuse of false loan. They said they were on now and then been beating and made subject to torture. When they approached to SHC through advocate Verji Kolhi and court ordered their freedom from private jail of landlord the landlord being infuriated totnrtured them in presence of police and took away their 18 domestic animals including 8 cows,one buffaloes and 9 goats. They asked authorities to get their animals back from landlord.
Landlord has lost his senses and was chasing poor Kolhi liberated peasants as well as advocate Veerji Kolhi and hurling deat threats to helpless children,women and men of peasants liberated from his private jail.
worst as in sindh province of pakistan around 2 million peasants work on farmlands of feudal lords as bonded and as forced labour.Most of them are kept in private jails of landlords. The curse of issue is that almost all landlords belong to ruling party in pakistan and are sitting in cabinets as ministers and/or members of parliament so no hope to eliminate this curse in near future except few on orders of court.
The issue that strikes in mind is that as the peasants are not skilled in any work found in cities industrial areas nor their women folk can do any work in towns and cities. So they shall have to find work on farmlands of any other landlords. The government fails provide jobs to the liberated peasants from private jails nor any social security for peasants and their families leaving them to undergo starvation.
Such is case with72 peasants liberated from private jails of landlord Zubair Sahto of Uberkot. No one knows the hardships these people suffered by passing two days and nights on open sky under 48 degrees selsius heat.
Edhi Foundation appeared as heaven for them by providing them food for 2 times daily on footpaths of press club Hyderabad where they are waiting justice which seems died since many decades ago.
The main reason for the plight of peasants is that these are non Muslim Kolhis ( Dalit) a vulnerable minority which remains under constant violence forcing many to leave India for safe life.
It may be noted that there are NGOs getting funds from outside in name of bonded labour, their liberation from private jails and for rehabilitation but overtly nothing is done by these so called organizations.