The Little Carpet Boy Text: Pictures: MAGNUS BERGMAR IQBAL JAN-ÅKE WINQVIST

the little carpet boy text: pictures: MAGNUS BERGMAR IQBAL JAN-ÅKE WINQVIST

Peace be with you, Inayat and Sadiq!

With you also, Shaukat!

Then we're in agreement. Sardar said that Iqbal Yes. We don't have I'll give you 500 rupies* The Peshgi will be paid in is free to work. Is that so? enough money for food. in Peshgi-advance!. installments. Here's 50 My sister rupies. We'll take care of needs 800! him and he'll learn a lot.

For 50 rupies Iqbal was on the way to becoming a debt-slave... Early the next morning. Here is my nephew, Thank you Iqbal! Sardar!

I'll teach you not to run around!

Let this be as lesson to Here, it's me who Night falls. The first day of Over the next years Iqbal would you others, also! decides! work is finished... work 12 hours per day, 6 days a week.

Saif! I've heard that Iqbal Give me the money! He is my son What do you has begun to work. and the money is mine. want. You'll only use it for narcotics. The doctor has said that I must But I'm No. I have Gullah. I have to have an Peshgi is that debt which causes Iqbal have an operation, but working to ask Ghulla operation and buy medicine. to become a debt-slave with Ghullah. I don't have any money. mother. for peshgi! Can I get peshgi for Iqbal? Isn't my money Here is enough? 6,000 rupies!

Hurry up, Shafiq. It is Friday, the boys' only free day. Two teams have Each group collects The match will begin gathered in the open space between the canal and the money. soon! houses. Iqbal has looked forward to this cricket match for an entire week...

....but today there is not to be a match Winner takes all. for Iqbal...

Even though it is their free day Iqbal, Shafiq and Rafiq, come Brother, the boys cannot refuse. They and work! We have a carpet would you like are debt slaves and Ghulla that has to be finished! to play? decides... No Sobia. I'm too tired...

In the middle of the night, Ghullah comes to Iqbal's Iqbal, the peshgi house and drags him out of bed... ..He needs That can wait! means that I must to sleep! We must get allow him to the job take you! finished! Iqbal is so tired that he falls asleep...

I have to escape from ....I have to go The boys wait until Ghullah isn't there... here! to pee... I'm feeling sick I'm about and have to go to crap in my outside and throw up! pants!

I need to pee...

The boys forget the terrible things that will The boys run as fast as they can along the canal. They know that happen later on... the foreman can't run after them, because then the others will try to escape...

When Iqbal comes home... Good Watch Iqbal! out Iqbal! Ghullah is very angry and is looking for you! The next morning Ghullah As punishment for running away, the chil- gets Iqbal at his home... dren are chained...

The boy's father and Iqbal's mother One Morning... He is very ill! come with food... Where is Maqsud?

Ghullah gets the sick Maqsud...

Here, it's me who decides when you work! Iqbal runs away ...and goes to the police station... sigh... The carpet owner You have to do again... has beaten...sigh... something! Maqsud!

We'll go to the carpet Chain up the little traitor! Good to see that the owner then! police are doing their job! He's run away from his work! Thanks!

Iqbal thinks constantly about how hard his life is, but he can't think of a way to be free...

All the boys in the factory are debt slaves. None of them have a peshgi, which is what the debt is called, less than when they started to work for Ghullah. After five years in the carpet factory it would become even worse for Iqbal... Iqbal's half-brother is getting married... Here is what you need. Iqbal, you'll get time off when your half- I'll charge it to Iqbal! brother Aslam gets married! I need a sack of sugar for Aslam's wedding!

Oh, Iqbal arrives at the wedding, not knowing that it is he who is paying... thank you!

The bridegroom The women begin to dance... The bridegroom receives necklaces of has arrived! money from the guests. Iqbal is happy to be at the party, which lasts three days...

But after the party... And by the way, after your half-brother's wedding your You have to make up debt has gone up to 13,000 the time you were absent rupies. for the wedding! One day a man comes by and speaks with the You know what will Iqbal ignores his owner's warning and carpet slaves... Look happen to you if you takes part in the meeting... out! leave your work! My name is Yousuf! The peshgi debt which The owner is makes you slaves is unlawful. coming! Say, didn't I see you Follow with me to a meeting of the Bonded yesterday? Labour Liberation Front, BLLF tomorrow and you will learn more.

Yes...

At the meeting, BLLF's leader Ehsan Ullah Khan speaks... What's your name? Iqbal! I'm Ehsan Ullah Khan. Would you tell us about Debt slavery is forbidden! No one can your work? force you to work. You have the right to be free. Children shall not work, but rather go to school.

Even though he is shy, Iqbal gives a little speech... You were good! Here is a Freedom letter. It says that you are free according to the law. Our owner Ghullah is cruel! Show this to your owner! I don't want to work any more! I want to go to school! Where have you You can't force me to work. What is been? Read this! this?

My Freedom letter.

Ha, ha! You'll never get free Iqbal is back in the carpet factory... of your debt!

Yousuf comes to see Arshad Ghullah... In Lahore Ehsan is thinking about Iqbal...

You must release Iqbal! BLLF's I'm worried about this lawyers will help him! little boy in Muridke! Let him attend the Apna school* here in Lahore! You will pay for this, Yousuf!

*Apna school means, "Our Own School". All of BLLF's schools are so named. Would you like to go Two of Iqbal's dreams have now come true. He is free and he to school? can begin school...

Yes!

Please read, Iqbal!

A-P-N-A, APNA!!

When Iqbal visits his home village he Arshad Ghullah comes to Iqbal's house... Be careful! You now speaks with children in other carpet have Arshad as an factories. Many now dare to leave their You must begin to work again, enemy! owners.... otherwise the others won't work either! I'm not afraid of him any longer. He ought to be afraid of me!

I don't have any time for you!

Iqbal now speaks at BLLF's meetings where free debt-slaves gather... We are... Free!!! But Ghullah hasn't forgotten Iqbal... Muhammed Rafiq, the man who Ghullah deliv- ers his carpets to threatens Iqbal... I'll see to I'll kidnap you and your mother. Watch out that you it that you go don't disappear! to jail!

How is it going We have received an Iqbal tells his friends... in school? invitation to Sweden... I'm going to fly! Lucky you! But I promise to bring presents back with me!

Would you like to go with me?

I'm studying as much as I can!

After visiting Sweden Ehsan and Iqbal continue on to the USA... The Youth in Action Award for ... IQBAL MASIH! human rights is given to ...

Iqbal is also given a scholarship. When he On returning to Pakistan, Iqbal is greeted But there are others... finishes school in Pakistan he will have his by his friends... study at an American university paid... Ehsan Ullah shall die! Iqbal shall be punished! On Easter Day 16 April 1995 Iqbal The carpet manufacturers Hello mother! How is goes home ... know that Iqbal always my dear sister Sobia? comes home to visit on christian holidays...

I've missed you dear brother!

Later the same day Iqbal meets his relatives We're going to bike out with Faryad and Lyaqat... food to Amanat in the field!

IQBAL!

Suddenly...

"The former debt slave boy Iqbal Masih who At the police station on the same Faryad is forced to put his fingerprint fought for children’s rights in Pakistan is night the murder is committed... on a sheet of blank paper.Then the dead!" police write down what they claim has happened...

The news spreads around the world... As the first morning prayer is heard Don't wail old lady. What Faryad and Lyaqat are sitting with the police Ghulam from the mosque... is so special about a poor boy Bari together with several carpet manufacturers and being murdered? the land owner If you don't stop we’ll Zaki Hussein when a Oh, ... IQBAL! kill your other car arrives... son also!

Imran Malik, Please, Mr Imran, take president of the If you don't do as we say we will kill you to my chair! Who is it ? carpet people! the seventh generation.*

Scared to death, Faryad and Lyaqat The next day Iqbal is buried... Where are your children? They shall Faryad and Lyaqat seek go into hiding with relatives... tell the story they have been given! protection with BLLF... Otherwise we'll kill all of you!

The police, the carpet On the paper with people, Zaki Hussein and his Faryad's thumb- brother Ali put together a print, Ghulam Bari writes that the boys story... had seen the field hand Hero having sex with a donkey. When the boys made fun of him he picked up a shotgun and fired, hap- pening to hit Iqbal...

The Human Rights Commission supports the police report and spreads it...

*This means that everybody in the family will be killed. ....foreign embassies write home. So do The morning after the murder Hero is awakened by the police and the brothers Ali, who is called 'Ponytail' and Zaki Hussein. Hero is a farm- those who work for foreign organizations... hand who works for Newspapers throughout the world spread “Ponytail'and Zaki... Take this shotgun the Donkey story... Why...? and come with us!

But Hero who has been presentated to the entire world as half-crazy and a murderer is completely innocent. He is only poor...

At the police station... You must If you don't do as we say we'll I killed him! say that you have mur- kill you and say that you were in I, eh... dered the boy! a fire-fight with the police.

What boy?

Soon Hero realizes that he can be I didn't murder the boy, Judge! Hero is declared innocent. But he is soon hanged for the murder... arrested again and no one is allowed to see him without permission from the Minister of Interior...

The carpet manufacturers had threatened to kill Iqbal many times...... and one month before the murder they came to see Ali and Zaki Hussein... If he doesn't come back and work Who are they? we'll kidnap you and kill him!

You're not to worry about it! Already before the murder those who were jealous of BLLF were brought together for a After the murder of Iqbal the security police meeting with carpet exporters, brick kiln owners and the security police... arrest some people working for BLLF...

Spread the How can we Dr Aslam and Haroon! You word they have And get Come along! get at BLLF? shall spread rumours against embezzled Ehsan! Ehsan! money!

Haroon and Dr Aslam threaten the teacher Anjum... It is Ehsan who murdered Iqbal. He kills one every year! Say that Ehsan is a terror- We have the security police ist and that he asked you to behind us. If you don't help us that's place a bomb! treason and that carries the death No!! penalty!

But he who had the job Stop! I'm Lyaqat, with of killing Iqbal goes Who are you? my uncle Faryad and free... our guest Iqbal!

So died Iqbal Masih, the boy who world- wide is a symbol for the fight against child labour...