Peasants protest attack on their homes

HRCP says basic right to housing is granted by the Constitution

KARACHI: Affectees, labour representatives and human rights activists demonstrated against the ‘land mafia’ allegedly responsible for the burning and occupation of houses belonging to the Bheel community in Bheel Mori Goth, Hala.

The protest, at the Hyderabad Press Club on Saturday, was led by Sindh Agriculture General Workers Union (SAGWU) secretary general Lal Bakhsh Lalan and Hari Haqdar Tahreek (HHT) vice president Sabhagi Bheel.

Addressing the protest, National Trade Union Federation secretary general Nasir Mansoor expressed his sorrow at the fact that the land mafia was now active in rural areas, evicting the long-present settlers of these areas with the connivance of the administration.

“Attempts are being made to seize 100-year-old Bheel Mori Goth, which contains over 200 houses of landless haris, and the local administration is backing the illegal occupation of the land mafia,” he alleged, adding that if this did not stop, the protest would be expanded.

Describing the incident under protest, Lalan alleged that Luqman Rajput, Jamil Rajput and Ali Muawiyah, along with two dozen armed thugs, attacked the village. Some houses were set on fire and cattle were slaughtered, while several residents were barely able to save their own lives, he added.  Lalan further stated that area residents had lodged an FIR with the police and while a few suspects had been arrested, the real culprits remained at large.

Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) council member Dr Badar Soomro stated that the basic right to housing is guaranteed by the Constitution and the attempt to deprive the oppressed residents of this was a complete violation of the law.

The protesters’ have demanded the arrests of those involved in the attack, protection for the residents, justice without obstruction by the administration, the end of land seizures based on fake claims in Sindh, and action against government officials forging land documentation. 

Published in The Express Tribune, May 24^th, 2020.