Pakistani Dalits: Long Behind Schedule By Zulfiqar Shah
It is a case of being twice condemned for the Dalits of Pakistan - the ostracised group within a minority.
A few minutes later, the bus stopped to pick up passengers. As the door opened,
three women clad in traditional Thari clothes accompanied by six children entered
and made their way to the middle of the vehicle. There were no vacant seats and
the group stood there -- the children clinging tightly to their grownup escorts.
The bus motioned forward.
It stopped again half an hour later, this time picking up four women in more
fashionable attire. They sure woke up the chivalrous gentleman inside the
conductor. He nudged the men sitting around asking them to make room for the
'ladies'.
Two stops, two batches of women... It was as vivid a contrast as placing the sober
images of modern life against the fast unfading shades that are indigenous to
Thar.
For someone from among the passengers that was a bit too strong to take. "Can't
you see that there are other women on board who have not been given seats?," he
said to the conductor, gesturing towards the four Thari women and their six little
companions, and drawing a none too gentlemanly remark in response.
"Oh they! They may remain on their feet. They are Kholhi. They are Bheel."
An argument ensued, one man against another -- one just a whistle blower, the
other a powerful conductor. Finally someone did intervene -- on behalf of the
status quo... "It is okay for women belonging to a scheduled Hindu caste to
stand."
Known as Dalits, the women and their families are quite used to this type of
treatment. They are settled mostly in lower Sindh, particularly in the districts
of Mirpurkhas, Umerkot and Mithi. Looked down upon by the religious majority, the
Dalit population is ostracised by the members of the privileged Hindu castes.
Pakistani law lists 40 scheduled castes tribes including Bheel, Bagri, Balmeke,
Menghwar, Kholhi, Oad and Bhangi. The Constitution of Pakistan promotes equality
among its citizens, rejecting any discrimination on the basis of caste, creed or
religion. The reality however is quite the opposite. Some castes are widely
discriminated against, humiliated and even assaulted.
"Discrimination on the basis of caste is very much there and we Dalits are its
worst victims," says Surrender Velasai, president of the Scheduled Castes
Federation of Pakistan. He says the impression that there is no caste-based
discrimination in Pakistan is misleading and this has put Dalits in a very
difficult situation. "This impression has led to a situation where we have no
safeguards like the ones adopted by Dalits living in other countries."
Unlike what is the case in India, there is no clear-cut law in Pakistan against
caste-based discrimination or about 'untouchables'. This prevents litigation.
"There is no specific law in Pakistan to condemn discrimination against members of
scheduled castes," says Rochi Ram, a senior lawyer and member of the Human Rights
Commission of Pakistan (HRCP). "Caste is not an issue. Nobody wants to talk about
caste in Pakistan."
He says there are no seats reserved for scheduled castes in the assemblies or the
Senate. "No one belonging to a scheduled caste has ever been appointed a judge or
a magistrate in the country."
According to the findings of Thardeep Rural Development Programme (TRDP), an NGO
working in Thar, a majority of the freed bonded labourers living in camps near
Hyderabad are scheduled caste Hindus. There are an estimated 1.7 million bonded
labourers in Sindh and an overwhelming majority of them is from scheduled castes.
"Entitlement of land is another issue confronting scheduled castes in Pakistan
particularly in rural Sindh. Most of the scheduled clans living in the villages
have no entitlement rights despite the fact that they have been living here for
ages," says Dr Sono Kangharani, head of TRDP. Denial of share in economic
opportunities and forced conversions of girls are other forms of discrimination
that these scheduled castes are routinely subjected to, he adds.
A presidential ordinance -- Scheduled Caste (declaration) Ordinance 1957 --
provided for a 6 per cent quota for scheduled castes in government jobs but the
law was never implemented until it was scrapped in the late 1990s. Pakistan is
among a score of countries in the world where caste-based discrimination exists;
yet Pakistan has not signed the UN Convention on Elimination of Racial
Discrimination (CERD).
The state may argue that there can be no caste discrimination in a Muslim country
since Islam teaches equality. The reality is that the scheduled castes are treated
here as third-rate citizens. "It is double discrimination they are faced with --
as non-Muslims and as Dalits," says Rochi Ram.
I. A. Rehman, director HRCP, reiterates that backwardness cannot be overcome
unless and until all citizens are treated equally. "Until we are able to protect
the rights of all citizens, prosperity and development is not possible," he said
at a recent consultation held in Karachi.
He demands of the government to ratify the UN Convention on Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights without any further delay. Pakistan has signed the convention but
is still shy of ratifying it. The day it does that, it will be bound to bring
changes in its laws and policies. Or so it is hoped.
Scheduled Castes Federation of Pakistan calls for specific laws that prohibit
discrimination against Dalits as well as formation of a body like a national
commission on the status of scheduled castes to rectify the situation.
"Specific measures are required to increase the socio-economic status of scheduled
castes as most of them are living in extremely adverse conditions. There must also
be some seats reserved in the assemblies for scheduled castes," says Velasai.
Dr Sono says quota in the judiciary, law enforcement departments and participation
in the democratic process are also equally important if the state and other actors
are sincere in bringing scheduled castes out of the present state of denial and
deprivation.
Source: Jang.com.pk
three women clad in traditional Thari clothes accompanied by six children entered
and made their way to the middle of the vehicle. There were no vacant seats and
the group stood there -- the children clinging tightly to their grownup escorts.
The bus motioned forward.
It stopped again half an hour later, this time picking up four women in more
fashionable attire. They sure woke up the chivalrous gentleman inside the
conductor. He nudged the men sitting around asking them to make room for the
'ladies'.
Two stops, two batches of women... It was as vivid a contrast as placing the sober
images of modern life against the fast unfading shades that are indigenous to
Thar.
For someone from among the passengers that was a bit too strong to take. "Can't
you see that there are other women on board who have not been given seats?," he
said to the conductor, gesturing towards the four Thari women and their six little
companions, and drawing a none too gentlemanly remark in response.
"Oh they! They may remain on their feet. They are Kholhi. They are Bheel."
An argument ensued, one man against another -- one just a whistle blower, the
other a powerful conductor. Finally someone did intervene -- on behalf of the
status quo... "It is okay for women belonging to a scheduled Hindu caste to
stand."
Known as Dalits, the women and their families are quite used to this type of
treatment. They are settled mostly in lower Sindh, particularly in the districts
of Mirpurkhas, Umerkot and Mithi. Looked down upon by the religious majority, the
Dalit population is ostracised by the members of the privileged Hindu castes.
Pakistani law lists 40 scheduled castes tribes including Bheel, Bagri, Balmeke,
Menghwar, Kholhi, Oad and Bhangi. The Constitution of Pakistan promotes equality
among its citizens, rejecting any discrimination on the basis of caste, creed or
religion. The reality however is quite the opposite. Some castes are widely
discriminated against, humiliated and even assaulted.
"Discrimination on the basis of caste is very much there and we Dalits are its
worst victims," says Surrender Velasai, president of the Scheduled Castes
Federation of Pakistan. He says the impression that there is no caste-based
discrimination in Pakistan is misleading and this has put Dalits in a very
difficult situation. "This impression has led to a situation where we have no
safeguards like the ones adopted by Dalits living in other countries."
Unlike what is the case in India, there is no clear-cut law in Pakistan against
caste-based discrimination or about 'untouchables'. This prevents litigation.
"There is no specific law in Pakistan to condemn discrimination against members of
scheduled castes," says Rochi Ram, a senior lawyer and member of the Human Rights
Commission of Pakistan (HRCP). "Caste is not an issue. Nobody wants to talk about
caste in Pakistan."
He says there are no seats reserved for scheduled castes in the assemblies or the
Senate. "No one belonging to a scheduled caste has ever been appointed a judge or
a magistrate in the country."
According to the findings of Thardeep Rural Development Programme (TRDP), an NGO
working in Thar, a majority of the freed bonded labourers living in camps near
Hyderabad are scheduled caste Hindus. There are an estimated 1.7 million bonded
labourers in Sindh and an overwhelming majority of them is from scheduled castes.
"Entitlement of land is another issue confronting scheduled castes in Pakistan
particularly in rural Sindh. Most of the scheduled clans living in the villages
have no entitlement rights despite the fact that they have been living here for
ages," says Dr Sono Kangharani, head of TRDP. Denial of share in economic
opportunities and forced conversions of girls are other forms of discrimination
that these scheduled castes are routinely subjected to, he adds.
A presidential ordinance -- Scheduled Caste (declaration) Ordinance 1957 --
provided for a 6 per cent quota for scheduled castes in government jobs but the
law was never implemented until it was scrapped in the late 1990s. Pakistan is
among a score of countries in the world where caste-based discrimination exists;
yet Pakistan has not signed the UN Convention on Elimination of Racial
Discrimination (CERD).
The state may argue that there can be no caste discrimination in a Muslim country
since Islam teaches equality. The reality is that the scheduled castes are treated
here as third-rate citizens. "It is double discrimination they are faced with --
as non-Muslims and as Dalits," says Rochi Ram.
I. A. Rehman, director HRCP, reiterates that backwardness cannot be overcome
unless and until all citizens are treated equally. "Until we are able to protect
the rights of all citizens, prosperity and development is not possible," he said
at a recent consultation held in Karachi.
He demands of the government to ratify the UN Convention on Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights without any further delay. Pakistan has signed the convention but
is still shy of ratifying it. The day it does that, it will be bound to bring
changes in its laws and policies. Or so it is hoped.
Scheduled Castes Federation of Pakistan calls for specific laws that prohibit
discrimination against Dalits as well as formation of a body like a national
commission on the status of scheduled castes to rectify the situation.
"Specific measures are required to increase the socio-economic status of scheduled
castes as most of them are living in extremely adverse conditions. There must also
be some seats reserved in the assemblies for scheduled castes," says Velasai.
Dr Sono says quota in the judiciary, law enforcement departments and participation
in the democratic process are also equally important if the state and other actors
are sincere in bringing scheduled castes out of the present state of denial and
deprivation.
Source: Jang.com.pk