In Umerkot, a property dispute takes on a religious, and then an ethnic tone

Two Hindu men shot in a clash with the Arain community.

KARACHI:

On February 9, an SMS went viral among the Muslims in Umerkot, asking them to gather the next day, after Friday prayers, to unite against “injustices” by the Hindus of the area. 

Many gathered at Madina Mosque on the call of the Arains. According to their claims, the number of people was between 200 and 300. “One thousand more people were willing to come from Kunri but we stopped them,” said Muhammad Hussain Arain. The area closed down and the police warily arrived, anticipating trouble.

The SMS was in response to trouble that began in the first week of February when Hafeez Arain and Zulfiqar Arain began rebuilding their shop and a warehouse located on the periphery of the Aakharo Temple.

The temple’s caretakers asked them to cease construction because it was on the temple’s property but the men refused. The two groups clashed and two Hindu men were shot.

The Hindus said that they were attacked and they registered an FIR against eight men. The police rounded up five men, including Zulfiqar, on the same evening and held them in custody. Businesses and shops shut down and the area was tense for a week.

However, when the Arains went to the police to register an FIR, the police refused. They went to court and after around two weeks the court ordered the police to register an FIR.

Zulfiqar’s younger brother, Muhammad Hussain Arain, lodged a case against seven Hindu men on Wednesday, including, Lal Malhi, who is a member of Pakistan Peoples Party’s Sindh council.

According to the religious scholars of the area, the issue was a property dispute and not a religious one. They advised both parties against exploiting the situation and stoking a conflict.

Maulana Abdul Rehman Jamali said that both parties were responsible for adding fuel to the fire. “It is not a religious issue,” he said. “It is a property issue and both sides should understand that exploiting it can have serious consequences.” He said that religious leaders from both sides have asked them to refrain from fighting. “People in other countries will think that minorities in Pakistan are treated inhumanly,” he said. “I advised the Hindus not to close their shops when the clash took place. I also advised the Arains not to involve other people in the affair.”

Following the text message invitation, the Arains set up a nine-member committee on Friday to help resolve the issue. On the other hand, the Hindus will set up a separate committee as well by next week. Lal Malhi appreciated the role played by the religious community. “Otherwise our people had had a scare because of the way the Arains handled the situation,” he said.

On the other hand, Hussain Arain, gave the matter another perspective on Friday. “The situation was tense but we managed to form a committee with the help of the elders,” he said. “We are Punjabis therefore we are not getting justice here. It is a language issue. We are peaceful people and want the issue resolved amicably.”

Umerkot SP Munir Khuhro said that no construction will be allowed on the temple’s premises. “This is a property dispute, not a religious one,” he said. “They should, therefore, avoid turning it into one and the police will certainly not allow anyone to exploit the situation.”

MNA Nawab Yousuf Talpur and MPA Nawab Taimoor also met the Hindu Panchayat on Saturday and assured them of their support. Malhi said that the Hindus wanted the matter to be resolved immediately.

(Editing by Tehmina Qureshi)

Published in The Express Tribune, February 18^th, 2012.