Sindh Guardian VOLUME 2 - ISSUE 9

August 2016 sindhipac.org

The Sindhi American Political Action Committee

The Hindu Marriage Bill: Doing More Harm than Good?

Pakistan and Its Failure to Act in the Fight Against Terrorism

What I Learned During My Time with SAPAC

Detailed Report on Second Annual Youth Advocacy and Leadership Program

An Interview with Saira Jatoi About the Youth Advocacy and Leadership Program

Siege in Ghotki and Living in Terror

*Disclaimer* The information and views set out in this publication are those

of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of SAPAC.

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Table of Contents

The Hindu Marriage Bill: Doing More Harm Than Good? ~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 3

Pakistan and Its Failure to Act in the Fight Against Terrorism ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 4

What I Learned During My Time with SAPAC ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 5

Detailed Report on Second Annual Youth Advocacy and Leadership Program ~~~~~~~ 8

An Interview with Saira Jatoi about the Youth Advocacy and Leadership Program ~~~ 10

Siege in Ghotki and Hindus Living in Terror ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 11

SAPAC Sindhi American Political Action Committee 1050 17th Street NW, Suite 1000, , DC 20036 sindhipac.org

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This bill also does not truly answer the question of the The Hindu Marriage Bill: consequences of kidnapping someone in order to convert Doing More Harm Than them to another religion. Forced conversions are mainly never in the media, therefore in order to shed light on the Good? issue with this bill is becoming very difficult. Many do not know how much this bill is actually hurting women who are By: Brigitte Burrell being captured and being forced to convert to Islam. It is hard to even narrow down how many girls are being forced In the beginning of this year, the government of to convert because, “there is no[t] any mechanism to Pakistan passed the Hindu Marriage Bill. Even through calculate the actual figure”1 The amount of awareness about much opposition and a delaying process, the bill has come forced conversions is not being put out in the public, making to law. This is a piece of legislation legalizing the it very difficult to show how much of an issue it truly is in registration of Hindu marriages. This does not only include . This bill is not clarifying the consequences of Hindus, but Zoroastrians and Sikhs. Along with this, the kidnapping for the intent to forcibly convert a woman. law will apply to existing marriages. One very important Overall, this law that was supposed to be used to restriction to this bill is that the bride and groom cannot be help these religious minorities and it is ultimately not doing less than 18 years old and there has to be mutual consent its job. It took way too long to even get passed through all of on both sides of the marriage. There will be repercussions, the sanctions and ultimately is not benefiting Hindu girls. such as fines, for those who have Hindu marriages that are Many powerful people in Sindh and Pakistan are exploiting not legally registered. This was only made possible after the certain passages in the bill to discredit one of the main 18th Amendment was passed, which gave more of a focus reasons it was created: to combat forced conversions of towards minorities in Pakistan. Hindu girls. This law needs to be ratified so that there is no This is a piece of legislature that will be very helpful question of the consequences of kidnapping someone in for and Sindh in general. Because of Sindhi’s order to convert them to another religion. There needs to acceptance of everyone, no matter their religion or race, be more specific repercussions so that the bill can actually there are many Sindhi Hindus. They have been combat these horrific acts from happening. Also, being able discriminated against for decades. Hindu women are being to add a mechanism to keep track of the amount of forced forced to convert to Islam. Without having a registered conversions happening in Sindh will help bring awareness to husband, women are more likely to become abducted and this serious issue that is continually swept under the rug. forced to convert to Islam. Finally, this is a start of showing support to religions besides Islam and Christianity. Being recognized as a legally registered couple provides much more benefits and security. They also now have a chance on obtaining government documents, which before was virtually impossible to obtain. This law was introduced in order to protect women from becoming easy targets for forced conversions and rape. However, a social worker in Karachi discusses how, “A section of the bill says that if any Hindu woman, even if she is married and has children, has converted to Islam, her Hindu marriage will be considered illegal. Many influential people exploit this section.”1

1 “Caste and Captivity: Dalit suffering in Sindh,” Dawn News, March 13, 2016, accessed July 28, 2016, http://www.dawn.com/news/1244684.

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Pakistan and Its Failure to Act in the Fight Against Terrorism By: Jessi Dusenberry

The Foreign Affairs Committee held a joint subcommittee hearing with the subcommittee for He suggests sending textbooks to the children in Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade and the Sindh, that way the U.S. won’t be funding terrorist subcommittee for Asia and the Pacific. The hearing groups, and school children won’t be taught Islamic was entitled, “Pakistan: Friend or Foe in the Fight extremist ideas. against Terrorism” and was held to give members During the hearing, Bill Roggio, senior editor of the opportunity to learn more about Pakistan’s ties the Long War Journal, offered a testimony that to terrorist groups so they could make more identified Pakistan as a foe. He points out that while informed decisions on U.S. foreign policy. The U.S. Pakistani officials and forces have assisted the U.S. in has spent billions of taxpayer dollars in aid to hunting senior al Qaeda figures, Pakistan’s overall Pakistan since 9/11, and Pakistan’s military and strategy is pro-jihadist. Pakistan battles some intelligence agencies are still linked to terrorist terrorist groups within its borders, but only when organizations. The funding going to Pakistan is they pose a direct threat to the state. Zalmay directly aiding extremist and terrorist groups who Khalilzad, former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan and then target Sindhi people. the U.N. gave a testimony urging the U.S. to adopt an The extremist groups target Sindhi people isolationist policy against Pakistan to force through the education system, which is plagued by cooperation. Mr. Khalilzad believes that Pakistan has ghost teachers, lack of access to higher education, portrayed itself as a U.S. partner, yet its support of and poorly built and maintained schools. Children the Taliban and other terrorist organizations should are drawn into madrassas, which are Islamic merit its inclusion on the State Department’s list of fundamentalist seminaries run by extremist groups. state-sponsors of terrorism. He attributes the Hafiz Saeed, founder of terrorist group Lashkar-e- success of these terrorist groups to the strategic Taiba, also founded its charity front, Jamaat-ul- decision of the Pakistani military and intelligence Dawa, where the terrorist organization raises funds, services to provide sanctuary and support to these and operates madrassas. Charity fronts such as groups. By aiding terrorist groups, Pakistan can utilize Jamaat-ul-Dawa provide humanitarian assistance them to further their own political agenda, such as when the government does not. In return, parents suppressing Sindhi culture and values. send their children to madrassas to learn Islamic Politically, Pakistan cannot be a member in fundamentalist ideas. Saeed is on the most-wanted good standing of the international community so long list in India and has a bounty of $10 million in the as it supports terrorist organizations. To protect U.S., yet he roams freely in Pakistan, and is given a Sindh and its people, the U.S. needs to cut off all free hand by the Pakistani Army. The extremist funding to Pakistan until it stops operating as groups that operate madrassas are funded directly breeding ground for terrorism. Not only does through misappropriated USAID money. Pakistan need to stop funding and promoting Congressman Brad Sherman, who is a ranking terrorism, but it also needs to take actions to stop member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, as well terrorist groups that are already active. Being idle as the founding member of the Sindh Caucus, when terrorism is occurring, is just as bad as directly offered an alternative to sending money to Pakistan. aiding and promoting terrorist groups.

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representation is an essential in any democratic What I Learned During My society, but it does not, or at the very least should Time with SAPAC not, stop at political parties. Some interests or communities within a given country, such as Sindhis By: Isaac Joseph within the , are too small to be viewed through the scope of party lines. Sometimes these Over this summer I had the pleasure of gaining interests fall out of or even cross over party lines. It is experience in advocacy work and representation by for this reason that organizing separate mechanisms, interning at an organization called the Sindhi like political action committees, becomes necessary to American Political Action Committee (SAPAC). The properly represent a group of people and their stated purpose of this organization was to spread interests. For my internship, I was able to work for an awareness about the issues facing Sindh and to entity whose purpose was to organize the advocate on behalf of Sindhi . Not having representation of a subset of the United States’ much previous knowledge of the political situation in population. Pakistan, I had no idea that there was a province in Pakistan called Sindh which contained the majority of the country’s religious minorities. While I was only a part of this organization’s operations for a few short months, SAPAC has been around for at least the past six years and has made significant grounds in establishing representation for Sindhis who face constant discrimination and violence in Pakistan and for their families who are living here in the United States. During my time interning for the Sindhi American Political Action Committee I learned something that is very important regarding the process of representing certain interests or people in the United States Congress. In any democratic country it is important, if not absolutely necessary, to create cohesive, unified, and organized representation in order to influence the political process or represent a niche community or interest, especially in a country as large and with as much global reach as the United States. First of all, representation is the bedrock of Organizing representation comes in many democratic governance and a healthy politically different forms, the most common being political involved society. On a theoretical level, an ideal parties. However, because of the way the United democracy would have the direct involvement of the States conducts its elections as well as its sheer size, polity in the legislative process; this is truly putting there are only two major catch-all parties: the power in the hands of the governed. However, on a Democrats and Republicans. Considering how this practical level, this would be virtually impossible, if type of representation affects small and scattered not completely chaotic. If every single citizen were communities, such as Sindhi Americans, it’s hard to obliged to vote on legislation, rather than having imagine that the specific and niche issues of these elected officials do that for them, there is no doubt communities will get addressed by catch-all parties. that there would be no consensus on anything. The situation in proportional representative Political parties are a natural consequence of attempting to generate consensus on policies and issues. For matters of practicality, organizing

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democracies is much different. Often, parties will be formed around a single issue for any given election before vanishing in the next one. For this reason, I believe that advocacy groups and political action committees, like the one I interned for, have a much One essential way that I learned during my more important role to play in the American political internship experience to organize representation process. based upon certain legislation rather than districts is Organization outside of the party apparatus is through Congressional Caucuses. About five years necessary for a group of constituents like Sindhi prior to my internship, the Sindhi community was Americans who only number around 50,000 in the successful in getting Congress to establish the Sindh United States and who are scattered across the Caucus. This could not have happened without the country. Due to the nature of catch-all parties like organized efforts of the Sindhi American Political the Democrats and Republicans and the single Action Committee as well as Congressmen Brad member district style of representation in the House Sherman and Adam Schiff, who were instrumental in of Representatives, candidates for office have to this process. Caucuses are a great way to inform develop a platform that has wide appeal. This over- members of Congress about issues and legislation that inclusiveness can sometimes have the opposite affect the beneficiaries of the Caucus. Caucuses are effect, and small groups like Sindhi Americans can also not necessarily restricted by party lines. The feel excluded from policy and legislation that affects Sindh Caucus has bipartisan membership, which their community. The disconnection in these exemplifies its unique role in representing the situations is because there needs to be a conduit interests of Sindhi Americans. Both parties have the between the constituents and their elected political will to address the issues that face Sindhis, so representative. While there are already mechanisms SAPAC is able to organize bipartisan consensus in place for this, like the representative’s district through the Sindh Caucus. Caucuses also go a step office where constituents can go to lodge further than simply just organizing representation complaints, this only helps facilitate dialogue between outside the party apparatus; they also get into the members of the district and its representative. nitty gritty of trying to get sponsored legislation Trying to inform Congress about legislation that introduced to Congress. During SAPAC’s advocacy affects a particular ethnic community requires campaign on Capitol Hill, which the interns helped further organized representation beyond the single organize, I came across a similar theme in many of the member district, two-party structure of American meetings I had with staffers. I was always asked if politics. SAPAC acts as the conduit between a there were any Sindhi Americans who were members scattered ethnic population and the members of of the Representative’s district or the Senator’s state. Congress whose legislation affects Sindhis. This was always a tough question to answer, but nonetheless an important one. Because Sindhis are not a concentrated community, like Arab Americans in Dearborn, Michigan, it is hard to say definitively that there are Sindhi Americans who are constituents of certain members of Congress. In our advocacy campaign we had to take a different and less straightforward route than simply playing the “we-are-your-constituents” card. This route involved addressing specific legislation and big picture policies that affect the Sindhi community and the United States at large. Due to SAPAC’s size as an organization, it also involved appealing to Congress’s conscience rather than their wallets. For example, when we were scheduling meetings for our advocacy

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campaign we reached out to the offices of Congressmen who were in certain Committees like Appropriations, Foreign Affairs, or Intelligence depending upon what policy issue we wanted to address. If they were in Appropriations, we would let the staffers know about the lack of accountability of USAID funds which were supposed to go to education and development projects in Sindh but instead wound up in the pockets of corrupt officials. We explained how this doesn’t just affect Sindhis, but also US taxpayers and that it also has implications for the future of counter-terrorism efforts in the region. The fact that both Republicans, who were concerned about the waste of taxpayer dollars, as well as Democrats, who were concerned about the human rights and development in the region, could get behind these issues also demonstrates the necessity of political organization beyond the party structure. It makes accomplishing policy goals and representation much more dynamic, and thus creates a more effective democratic governance. This type of approach, whereby an organized and informed political action committee reaches out to Congressional Committees on specific legislation and policies, would be unheard of without prior political organization outside of the party structure like the Sindhi American Political Action Committee. All in all, the biggest thing that I’ve taken away from my experience with SAPAC is that you do not have to be a party member, a staffer, or an elected government official to get involved in American politics and the legislative process. Regardless of how many parties there are or how wide their policy platforms are, there will always be a need in democratic societies for organizing outside of this structure. SAPAC provides an opportunity for Sindhi Americans who are spread across the United States to get involved in politics and be heard by the government. While many people, especially during this presidential election, feel that big money and private interests are ruining and corrupting the legislative process of the United States, it is important to remember the smaller communities for whom advocacy and political action committees are just as important.

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Detailed Report on Second Thursday, July 14th, was the start of the meetings Annual Youth Advocacy and on the Hill. SAPAC interns had prepared envelopes for all of the meetings which included a report on enforced Leadership Program disappearances, a brochure discussing Sindh and all of the issues that were to be mentioned in the meetings, and a SAPAC held its Second Annual Youth Advocacy letter that requested Representatives to join the Sindh and Leadership Program from July Caucus. Thursday was a very busy day for both Congress 13th-15th, 2016. Eight participants from around the nation and SAPAC because it was the last day of Congress’s came to Capitol Hill to join SAPAC to advocate for Sindhis. session before a long break. Everyone appreciated the time This entailed splitting these participants up into four that the Congressional offices took to meet with the different groups so that there could be as many meetings as SAPAC team on such a busy day. possible. There were over 50 meetings on the Hill The SAPAC interns and Fati Gul started the day at scheduled. One of the participants was returning from last Senator Bob Casey’s Keystone Coffee with a light breakfast year’s program, Saira Jatoi. She is a very passionate Sindhi, with the Senator. During the Meet and Greet, SAPAC had who wants to give a voice to the voiceless and shed light the opportunity to share their views and voice their on the human rights violations occurring in Sindh. concerns with the Senator himself, and his staffers. The Executive Director, Fati Gul, joined in on various groups SAPAC team was also able to ask about a very new piece of that had priority at the time of meeting to help out. legislation that was introduced by Senator Casey into the To kick-start the event, SAPAC hosted a meet and Senate, called the STORM Act. One of SAPAC’s interns, greet on Wednesday, July 13th, in the evening. Everyone Isaac Joseph, is from Pennsylvania and is one of Senator received a folder that included the itinerary for the Casey’s constituents. Isaac is concerned about the problems following two days, a map of Capitol Hill, a map of Sindh, that Sindhis face from religious extremists every day in an article about the Lahore Resolution 1940, and an article Pakistan and was looking forward to discussing with Senator about the plight of Sindhi Hindus by Kamana Mathur. The Casey the new bill that Casey is co-sponsoring that would purpose of these handouts was to help educate the help cut down on terrorist financing. participants on the issues which face Sindhis, inform about the Representatives and Senators whose offices they were meeting with, and specify what things to ask Congress to do to help. Two special guests came to the meet and greet, Farzana Majeed and Sameeta Vikram. Everyone introduced themselves and provided fun information about themselves, and then jeopardy was played. Jeopardy was created by a SAPAC intern and provided six different categories to truly test the knowledge that the participants had about Sindh. These categories included: geography, culture, education, human rights, funding, and religious extremism.

Sen. Casey’s Keystone Coffee: The SAPAC team discusses the STORM Act, recently brought to the Senate by Senator Bob Casey and Johnny Isakson.

Afterwards, everyone participating in the meetings on Thursday went to Senator Johnny Isakson’s office to begin the official round of scheduled meetings. Everyone voiced their specific concerns during the meeting and were able to learn more about the STORM Act. Senator Isakson Meet and Greet: Participants wearing traditional co-sponsored this bill along with Senator Casey. The Sindhi lungi after a fun game of Jeopardy. STORM Act, if passed into law, would grant the President

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greater authority to designate and punish countries who aren’t doing enough to stop the financing of terrorist Among the various offices that the SAPAC team groups or who are complicit in supporting and protecting met with on Thursday included Senators Ernst, Gardner, terrorist groups. This Act was originally intended as a Markey, Flake, and Wyden as well as Representatives response to the growing threat of ISIS in the Pallone, Norton, Farr, Lowenthal, Rooney, Rothfus, and but this can help control the acts of terrorism in these Shultz. Everyone was proud that they met with both countries like Pakistan. They were able to express Democrats and Republicans who were both in agreement concerns about how some of the elements of the Pakistani on continuing to help Sindhis and fight injustices in Pakistan. establishment protect religious extremists and how this bill Every group had a different meeting at 3:00pm, which was would help to put pressure on Pakistan and protect Sindhis their last meeting of the day. Afterwards, SAPAC interns from terrorism. Senator Bob Casey himself has made two and Fati Gul headed to Representative Adam Schiff’s office trips to Pakistan in the past and reassured us of his to receive a VIP Tour of the Capitol Building. commitment to protecting the rights of religious minorities Representative Adam Schiff was the first member of the in the country. Sindh Caucus and has continuously shown support for After this, everyone split off into their respective Sindhis. The SAPAC team also dropped off an envelope groups for the day of advocating on the Hill. Either at 11:00 containing information about current issues for am or 12:00 pm, groups took an hour lunch in whichever Representative Schiff. A member of his office gave us the office building’s cafeteria they were in, and then they went Capitol tour, and everyone greatly enjoyed being able to right back to advocating on the Hill! One group had the learn more about the United States’ history. pleasure of meeting with Representative Brendan Boyle in Friday, July 15th, the participants were first split into person. Representative Boyle is a member of the Foreign two groups so that there were people on the House side Affairs committee and was interested to learn more about and Senate side of the Hill. One group met with Senator Sindh and to get involved. He was mainly interested in the Marco Rubio’s Office staff to discuss important issues and problems of religious extremism and USAID how his office can help the large Sindhi community in the mismanagement and wanted to learn more about the Sindh state of . His office is also sponsoring the STORM act Caucus. He mentioned that after the meeting he was going and was willing to meet with the Sindhi Community in to conduct some research of his own and consult events they have in Florida. Afterwards, the groups met Representative Brad Sherman, the member of the Sindh Representatives Kyrsten Sinema, Jackie Speier, Robert Dold, Caucus, for more information. Most of the other meetings Don Beyer, Elijah Cummings, Gene Green, Lynn Jenkins, were with staffers in the various Congressional and Senate Tom Marino and Lois Frankel to discuss human rights offices, and they were very successful. Whether it was violations, enforced disappearances, and extrajudicial killings religious extremism, women’s rights, or misappropriation in Sindh. While some of the Representatives were aware of of USAID funds, each office had its own interest that it was these issues, most were unaware they were so blatant. happy to help with. Many members of Congress commended the idea of supporting education by helping provide textbooks to Sindhi school children as an alternative to USAID funds, which can be misallocated. After lunch in the Hart Senate Office Building, the group took meetings with Senators Joni Ernst, Ron Johnson, Amy Klobuchar, and Mark Kirk. Meetings continued with other representatives, and the SAPAC team ended the day with a tour of the Washington monument where the views were breathtaking once they reached the top. SAPAC is very appreciative to all of those who participated in both the meetings on Capitol Hill, and the meet and greet. Being able to show these politicians how informed so many youth in America are and the importance of Sindh is to these youth really made an impact. It was a very successful program that will be continuing next year, in Rep. Brendan Boyle: Tram and Jessi discuss the hopes that one day Sindh will be a safer place by advocating current issues that Sindhis face and how joining the and providing awareness of Sindhi people everywhere. Sindh Caucus can significantly help them.

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Did you learn any important lessons from your An Interview with Saira experience in the program? Jatoi About the Youth I learned that not everyone is going to listen to you. Just because you believe and not just believe, but Advocacy and know your cause is right, does not mean everyone Leadership Program else will have the same strong emotions towards it as you would. Even though one fifteen-minute meeting By: Brigitte Burrell does not go as smoothly as you wanted it to, does not mean that you should go to the next meeting with any What is your overall reflection of the Second less passion than you did for the first. You should Annual Youth Advocacy and Leadership always express yourself the way you want to. Program? Honestly it was very organized, I really liked Would you recommend other participate in that. There was a lot more information than we had the program next year? last year. We had a better idea of what we wanted to I think the way to progress as a Sindhi do to remedy specific problems that we had. The community is by helping Sindh itself first. That’s where timing was also a lot better throughout the different everyone comes from, that’s our homeland, that’s our meetings. We had a structure to how the meetings culture, that’s the culture we grew up with, that’s us, should go and left the last two minutes to discuss that’s all we have. If we can help them first, if we help specifically what we want from them. Overall, I was their education have better infrastructure, then we’ll really happy I was able to come and do this because I be happier because we will know that where we come really did not think I was going to be able to. Even from is safe and better. I would say if you are eligible, though I was only able to participate in one day of the you should get involved in this program. It aides us in program, I was extremely grateful to be given that starting from the root and working our way up. day.

Why are you so passionate about Sindh and Sindhis? Well first I am Sindhi and I have been to Pakistan where these people are living in such horrible conditions. Trash is filling the streets and homes. The village that I am from we do not get electricity for most of the day. With all of the human rights movements happening in America today, I really wanted to get out there and do something. So I thought why don’t I help my people now and incorporate more of these modern movements while I go on with my life? Last year when I first heard about this program I signed up immediately because I knew I really wanted to do it. I want to fight to women’s rights in Sindh, for children’s rights in Sindh, for freedom of speech really. I wish that one day Sindh can be a place where its citizens can analyze First Meeting: Before Saira, on the far left, enters and criticize what is happening and not feel that their Florida’s Representative Marco Rubio’s room with lives are being threatened because of it. SAPAC team Second Annual Youth Advocacy and Leadership Program.

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I had in my childhood witnessed elders of Hindu Siege in Ghotki and Sindhis of Northern Sindh touching the walls of Hindus Living in Terror mosques with respect and then keeping those hands on their foreheads. They even used to get chicken and Published In: Daily Kawish goats slaughtered by Muslims. Growing up as a Hindu Written By: Hasan Mujtaba kid has also become a crime there now. There were many Hindu teachers who had read the holy quraan, In upper Sindh and specially in the district some had even read it with translation and had learnt Ghotki to be born, raised and living as a Hindu has a it by heart. Teachers of Ghotki district Saain very heavy price to pay which Sindhi Hindu’s have Ghansham Das, Thakur Das, Pyaray Lal and Amar Lal been paying for years as a penalty for their love and were among the teachers who had read holy Quran sincerity for this land, country, river Indus and all and respected it. Professor Talreja of Sukkur used to their ancestral and religious sites. Irshad Sagar’s deliver lectures on TV against sectarianism with words “My poor motherland for you we pay references from Quraan in earlier days of Pakistan penalties” depicts this whole situation realistically. It’s Television. Even Professor Talreja had to leave Sindh. just a bookish thing but Sufi Shrines, Shah, Sachal. Hindu’s in Sindh and particularly those in North Sami, Qalandar, Bekas, Bedal, Hayat Pitafi, Rehedki, Sindh live with a continuous mental stress and in Sadh BeloSatiyen jo Aastaan and Wasan Shah. It’s Ghotki district particularly most of the people they call almost impossible to forget one’s motherland. them kurar or waniya. If the moods are good they call them deewan or bhaiband with respect. What a young For the love of soil; we the devotees Hindu have to go through from early education to grade 12 could be a topic of social studies research. Have paid price which wasn’t even due These kids are most affected by mental and physical abuse. Their nude photos are taken forcefully and are It’s upper Sindh where wheel of evolution has blackmailed to have sexual relationships. Their parents stopped. Specially areas like Daherkee, Obaro, have to pay extortion money. All this is like they say Ghotki, Jarwar, Hayat Pitafi, Yaroo Lund, Dad “One Waniyo (Sindhi Hindu) is the only heavy person Laghari, Khanpur etc. where after each 8 or 10 miles in the whole sinking ship”. there is a new lord, Sardar or Pir. They rule those These Hindus are even severely affected when areas. They have their farmers, servants, slaves and Pakistan and India go to war. Even while an incident like followers; they can all be identified differently as they Babri Mosque happens Hindus get affected not only all have their distinct way of dressing up, beards, caps, that but even if Pakistan loses a cricket match to India laws, customs and costumes. They are all above the these people are hold responsible for the defeat. Not law and rely on jirgas to settle disputes. Honor only that even if a mentally retarded person does a killings, tribal feuds and increasing religious wrong act or if a mosque is deserted local Hindu extremism make these areas of upper Sindh like population is attacked and held responsible like it north Waziristan. Construction of multi-story recently happened in Ghotki District where the whole building of religious seminaries on national highway Hindu population had to live in a curfew and and both sides of river Indus are also contributing to nonpolitical siege like situation. Everyone is living in religious extremism in those areas. terror. It all appears like Amar Jaleel’s story “The Journey of a cold dead body” is being repeated in reality. Just remembered when a small thief who steals It’s not that this area is only inhabited goats or cows and for the sake of bringing innovation by people but also pigs and people like to his skills instead starts kidnapping people for ransom that also affects Hindu population of Sindh. Khudo people. Almani is the one who did first kidnapping for ransom

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in Sindh later on that dacoit became Sardar (Chief of a know that there is a piece of land measuring around tribe) Khuda Bux Almani. He is the one who 100 acres between Reherki and Daherkee which is threatened to kill Shaista Almani and another couple owned by Sant Sandhoo Ram and a local Hindu from Maher. We recently knew that Shaista Almani is partnership and some powerful people have interest in living happily with her husband in a Scandinavian it? This time it appears the whole incident was country. conspired for this reason. Where shall the Hindu population of this area go? Who is planning to cleanse this country of its Hindu population. Not all the Hindus can migrate to India or be partners of General retired Aslam Baig or Naseer Akhtar. Many of those who migrated to India have returned back. We all also know how India treats its minorities. Thousands of Hindu’s who migrated to India haven’t yet been given citizenship or even a permit to live. A few days ago many religious pilgrims from Ghorki district were arrested in India accusing them of espionage. Why shall Hindu migrate? This is their country and they shall be treated equally. Local Hindu population shall not be made ATM machine for criminals, landlords, Peers and their hooligans. Even an SSP can stop all these atrocities. Let’s look at the example of Zafar Iqbal Chhatha of Punjab who was posted in District Rahim Yar Khan who controlled extremist elements there and protected Christian population against any extremist attacks. My friend Nabeela Kayani is proud that Zafar Iqbal has been one of her students. If Police had any control in Ghotki district two innocent youngsters wouldn’t have been attached like that. One of them died later. Someone correctly said it on social media that a Hindu who out of fear and respect hardy touches their religious scriptures can never be disrespectful to any other religion’s holy scripture. This area has a history of accusing people of damaging religious scripture to fulfill their personal interests. Religious leaders of different sects accuse each other of such things, even some drug addicts who have arguments accuse each other of such things but they always end up being fake accusations. All this was never heard of before 1940’s when Professor Pamnani of Rohri and Singer faqeer Bhagat Kunwar Ram were killed. If these incidents and Manzil Masjid Gah incidents hadn’t happened; possibly the partition of subcontinent wouldn’t have happened so easily. A Journalist friend of mine Fayaz Naich told me that there has never been any differences in the Shrine of Burjhandee and Reherkee Darbar. Do you also

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In theatres August 12, a Bollywood movie is finally being done about one of the world’s oldest civilization, Monhenjo Daro! We are very excited and happy that there is going to be recognition to this beloved civilization located in Sindh. We feel it will bring more awareness about Sindhu civilization and cannot wait to watch.