Sindh up in arms over kidnappings of Hindus
Members of the Hindu Panchayat block National Highway in Kashmore on the Sindh-Punjab border to protest against kidnappings of their community members. Photo: PPI
Piqued by the incessant incidents of kidnappings for ransom, the residents of Kashmore-Kandhkot district continued their protest and strike for the fourth consecutive day on Monday, as similar protests spread to other cities in Sindh.
Efforts to secure a 24-hour suspension of the sit-in by SSP Kashmore-Kandhkot, Amjad Shaikh, failed as the Hindu Panchayat, leading the protest and blocking the highway connecting Sindh, Punjab, and Balochistan, refused to budge.
Moreover, local markets remained completely shut, with even pharmacies staying closed.
Speaking at the protest, SSP Shaikh attempted to assure the protesters that the police would deliver results within 24 hours by recovering the abducted men and children.
However, the Panchayat’s leaders flatly refused and expressed distrust towards the police force.
Shaikh, who recently took on additional responsibilities for the district, stated that during his brief tenure, efforts to curb crimes and kidnappings had already begun.
He reported the successful recovery of kidnapped persons, Farooq Qambrani and Allah Rakhio Qambrani, in an operation against outlaws in the katcha area within the limits of Durrani Mehar police station.
The two abductees had been kidnapped 11 days prior. The SSP urged the protesters to move away from the highway to allow traffic to flow.
The protestors mentioned that five persons from the minority community had been kidnapped in separate incidents, but local authorities failed to take any action.
They demanded the police recover their people as a condition to end their protest.
“We have observed the police maintaining silence over such incidents. We want to know who is silencing the police?” questioned one of the protestors named Ghasham Das.
The protesters chanted slogans against local political leaders and tribal chiefs who are believed to have connections with the kidnappers.
They noted that the outlaws were not only kidnapping people but also severely impacting economic and trade activities in the cities of Larkana and Sukkur divisions.
The Panchayat demanded an immediate army operation to root out these criminals and bring to justice the political and tribal figures involved with them.
While addressing the protest, Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz, President Sanan Qureshi demanded the immediate recovery of all Hindu community missing members and other locals.
He blamed the police for intimidating the protesters instead of taking action against the dacoits.
In a statement issued in Hyderabad, Qaumi Awami Tehreek President warned that if the police failed to produce results within -48 hours, the party would call for province-wide protests.
He praised those participating in the sit-in protest in Kashmore-Kandhkot, emphasising the need to pressure the government to take this matter seriously.
Meanwhile, civil society activists, lawyers, and workers from political and nationalist parties blocked the Hyderabad Bypass in protest against kidnappings and lawlessness in the province on Monday.
Figures like Taj Joyo, Mushtaq Mirani, activist Zulfiqar Halepoto, Sindhu Nawaz Ghangro, and others accused the caretaker sindh chief minister, Maqbool Baqar, of being reluctant to launch an operation in the riverbed and forest areas.
In Thatta district, a sit-in was staged on the National Highway, blocking traffic for a couple of hours.
The protesters alleged that many districts in Larkana and Sukkur divisions have become no-go areas.
The protesters suspect a conspiracy targeting the Hindu community.
A protest rally took place in Benazirabad district, with participants condemning the brutal kidnappers who spare not even innocent children.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 5th, 2023.