BADIN:
The floods have wreaked havoc across Sindh but the most vulnerable of its people, the scheduled castes, have to pay an extra price.
Organisations conducting relief efforts, and not just the religious ones, have been discriminating against the scheduled castes, Mohan Kolhi, a community chief living near Khoski town, told The Express Tribune.
A religious organisation set up a relief camp in Khoski town but not a single bag was distributed to members from the scheduled caste community, he said. “When we visited the relief camp, the prayer leader of the mosque told us that the ration is only for Muslims,” said Kolhi, adding that they were not even allowed to drink water from fountains set up outside the camps.
“Sindh is our motherland and we have been living here for centuries,” he said. “So what if we are scheduled castes? We are also humans.”
Indebted, ruined
Sindh’s scheduled castes, including the Kolhis, Menghwars, Bheels and Oads, are predominantly employed as farmers in Badin district.
These Hindu farmers usually take loans from landlords and tend to the land with their families all year round to pay back. As such, they are most vulnerable to the devastating rains and ensuing floods.
“My landlord loaned Rs50,000 and I used it to plant cotton on 20 acres,” said Kolhi. “All my crops have been damaged. I don’t know how I will pay back my landlord,” he added.
Kirtar Lal Menghwar, an agricultural expert who works at the Laar Humanitarian and Development Program (LHDP) corroborated Kolhi’s account.
Organisations that have set up relief camps in towns are following in the footsteps of banned religious organisations and discriminating against minorities, he said. “They ignore the scheduled castes every time disaster strikes, whether it is cyclones, floods or heavy rains,” said Menghwar.
The 50,000 scheduled caste members living in different villages across Badin are facing similar problems, he added.
(Read: A view from Badin)
All’s not bleak, however. Sattar Zangejo, who is affiliated with a UK-based donor organisation Oxfam, said they have received directives to focus on vulnerable segments of society. These segments include non-Muslims and scheduled castes that have been ignored in the past.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 14th, 2011.
COMMENTS (41)
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@Mohsin Sayeed: We do not need to be secular....if only we could be Muslims. Its about understanding for a practicing Muslim would not have a questionable character as an individual and would be a part of a nation of such people.
Thank you, ET.
It is great;there are still honorable and good people in the world like the people of ET, their writers, journalists, reporters and others who make problems known. I am sure that such problems would be put an end to, now that more people have become aware of the situation. Let us not blame each other but get involved in solving the problems of all people affected by the floods. We are all brothers and sisters, no matter what religion we profess or what language we speak or to which country we pay our taxes too. Finally, thank you, ET
@Logical Dude: Allah has the whole universe to look after in which the 6 billion earthlings are a insignificant lot . Allah is busy and i do not think he would have the time or the inclination to solve our self created /problems that evolve due to neglect. He helps those who help themselves .
ET - thank you for being a shining light for us sane Pakistanis who want our country to be more human and improve.
The fact that these poor souls are discriminated against is awful. We claim that we are so pure and good but how do we still have a caste system?
I wonder there are millions of Muslims who dint get anything its not only minorities
down with the Media always trying to put it in the other way and try to defame PAkistan from every side this is not the first time ET has written something like tht please come up with something honest rather than just selling your news to the world
@ThePalmist: Perhaps you didn't read the whole thing dumbo, Read the last sentence. What is happening is a replay of last year and a thousand years before that.
@Logical Dude:
Your prattle is sheer nonsense. Focus on the news item where starving and helpless human beings were denied succor because they were not of your faith.
@Lateef Khan: Just because India has flaws does not justify your having the same flaws.
one should appreciate ET on highliting the issues. Bravo
Pakistanis shamelessly justify their every subhuman act by quoting an unconvincing/ridiculous example of how their neighbor (India) and the now enemy-number-one America mistreat certain minorities or countries.
Zakat and sadqa-e-wajiba money can only be given to Muslims...This MAY BE the case with the Imam. If not, he has done wrong. It's our religion. It's no discrimination. We do not discriminate. After affected muslims getting zakat money, they can share with their non-muslim fellows. How many Hindus study with us in Karachi, ask them if they are ever badly treated. I have never seen such a case. So many people including muslims/non-muslims in interior sindh are living in debts and are bonded labours. It's not only non-muslims being badly treated in interior sindh.
Its really a shame. Pakistan is for all irrespective of religion. Everybody citizen of Pakistani has equal rights. This is not what Quaid-e-Azam thought of Pakistan.
@Pundit: Wait and see you will be hearing alot of slur from the neo nationalist soon.
@Pundit: O what a dialogue pundit jee!!!
@ali: Don't worry you will never see them anyway
@ali:
and my head is stuck under the sand :/
UP has released water from it's dam and large part of Bihar is flooded. Is this an act of terrorism? What happens if UP decides not to release water and dam gets burst. It will be horrible for the people of Bihar. It is but normal that water has to be released from Dam, if water level goes up beyond defined limit. the remedy to lower reperian is to get the system of water reservior to collect the water and use the same in dry season for irrigation and generation of electricity or to have well designed water channels to channelise the water to sea. Gujarat has done the same in india and also bihar is planning to do it.
I hope, my pakistani brothers will see the subject more objectively rathar than emotionally.
India is not an enemy country of Pakistan, we wish you the best.
SO BASED ON THE STATEMENT OF TWO PEOPLE, express tribune DECIDES TO PUT UP A HEADLINE??? SHOCKING!!!! where are the facts guys???
@islooboy: What an strange reason for Kala!!!! Will you take water from here to Kalabagh?
@Jan 100% true..it is an act of terrorism.
Sad,very sad......what religion are we following? , where our Imam Hussain had given all his reserve water to his enemies befor the Karbala could begin and here these so called MAULASS.....no word to explain their ideology
@Jan: i believe the soloution is kala in the bagh
I pray to Allah please join me If you can:
O my Lord, Ya Rehman, Ya Raheem, Ya Rabbal Alameen........Please forgive us for our sins and wrong doings, we are weak, we are worshipping our desires instead of you, we are submerged in the depths of ignorance and we have indeed gone astray. But our sins are not bigger than your rehmat. Forgive us my Lord. Have mercy on us. Only you can guide us and save us otherwise we will be amongst the loosers. You love to pardon, pardon us ya Allah. Pardon us for the sake of Prophet (sallalho alaihe wasallam), Pardon us my Lord. Pardon us, Save our brothers and sisters, fellow humans, those who are affected by floods and epidemic and bring peace to us in this word and in the hereafter. Ameen Ya Rabbal Alameen
@Jan: are you serious?
OK, India should also be blamed for the spread of dengue in Punjab, KPK, and so on
India should also be blamed for supporting the outburst of ZM
India should also be blamed for the ...........................
carry on
@Lateef Khan: India does'nt claim to be the land of the Pure..... While the floods of water are annual...the flood of hypocrisy in Pakistan is perpetual...
So... when there's a drought because your canals have had no proper maintenance work done on them for 30 years then its India's fault because its stealing water. And when there's a flood because you don't maintain your dykes and bunds and embankments, then its India's fault for releasing water.
Carry on.
@Jan: And so India is responsible for the maltreatment of the minorities in Pakistan!?!?!? What kind of stupid logic is this? Even if India has released water they have not stopped Pakistani Authorities or that "leader of the mosque" to distribute the relief goods equally within various communities.
@Lateef Khan: report on bihar flood 2008. Bihar today also having strong caste system, But next 10 years it will reduced considerably due better government and spread of education. You just have 4% nonmuslims still you treat them like this is surprising. India has much more nonhindus but the is issue is big due to huge population. The important fact is india on right track because of education. Main focus is on education.
@Jan: Never study cause and live in denial your problem never get solved.
@Lateef Khan: What was the purpose of your second sentence? Why are you SO concerned about what India does or doesn't do. Please learn to focus and hopefully then you will GROW UP!
Welcome to Jinnah's experiment where Pakistani version of inclusionism is practiced
I am surely disappointed but not surprised at all...it is well known and well established but less spoken or discussed.
India should be penalized for releasing water in the rivers which is the root cause of these floods. This is an act of terrorism by the Indians who get away with such acts because of the US support.
It is sad and should never happen but it is a reality. It happens in SECULAR INDIA too:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7610999.stm
I'm lost for words, BUT, this article says it all!
You have to be a decent human being before you can be a decent Muslim - that's something that apparently they don't teach in parts of Pakistan.