Over 70 Badin labourers freed from private jail in Punjab

BADIN:

More than 70 labourers — including women and children from Badin — were allegedly held captive in a private jail by a landlord in Faisalabad's Farooqabad area, after being lured in with promises of agricultural work.

The labourers had travelled to Faisalabad for seasonal jobs such as rice planting and maize harvesting. However, upon demanding their due wages, they were reportedly denied payment by the landlord, who claimed he had already disbursed an advance sum of Rs1 million. The workers denied receiving any such payment, suggesting that the money may have been handed over to a labour contractor or agent instead.

According to the affected labourers, they were confined to the landlord's farmhouse under constant surveillance by armed guards. As days passed and food supplies dwindled, the conditions became desperate, with some workers going without food for up to two days.

The ordeal came to light when more than 40 labourers managed to escape the farmhouse and alert their families in Badin. The news quickly gained traction on social media, prompting the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) to take notice. The commission tasked its local team to investigate the matter and gather evidence for legal proceedings.

Following HRCP's intervention and growing public pressure, the landlord reportedly released the remaining captive labourers.

One of the victims, Abbas Mallah, shared a mobile number that helped confirm the identities of those still held. His relative, Ali Ghulam Mallah, revealed that the agent who had arranged the trip to Faisalabad, identified as Khero Kohli, had since gone into hiding and was unreachable.

Speaking to reporters after his release, Abbas Mallah said he and 33 fellow workers were stranded at Faisalabad railway station, awaiting financial help from relatives in order to return home to Hyderabad.

The freed labourers have appealed to Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif to take strong action against those responsible for their exploitation and to ensure they receive their unpaid wages.