Sindh Guardian Was a Collaborative Effort in Early Spring 2020 by the Sindhi American Political Action Committee Team
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SAPAC SINDH Sindhi American Political Action Committee V O L U M GUARDIAN E 7 , I S S U E 1 Photo courtesy of Emmanuel Guddu of Sindh @guddupakistani P R E V I E W CONTINUED HUMAN STATE OF HEALTH SINDHI HERITAGE RIGHTS ABUSES AND EDUCATION AND LANGUAGE ABOUT THIS ISSUE Volume 7 Issue 1 of the Sindh Guardian was a collaborative effort in early Spring 2020 by the Sindhi American Political Action Committee team. The issues that we write about are not an object of a distant past, but ongoing. Few people know of Sindh or its persecuted indegenous communities and it is our duty to spread awareness. Authors and Contributors Ayia Ghazy Ayia Ghazy is a senior at University of North Florida studying Political Science with a minor in Criminal Justice. Her interest in politics first came about because of experiencing first-hand the contempt of the Egyptian people towards the police force and the government, after years of violations and discrimination. After graduation she plans on getting her Master’s degree in either International Relations or Criminal Justice. Billy Hackett Billy is an undergraduate senior at the University of Florida pursuing two Bachelor's of Arts in Political Science and International Studies with a regional focus in Latin America. He is intrigued by the intersectionality of geopolitical issues that derive from a common power structure and is passionate about empowering margianalized people, whether domestic or abroad. Christine Sifre Christine is a senior at Framingham State University in Massachusetts studying political science. While living aboard she developed an aspiration to work in human rights and women's rights focusing on international conflict resolutions. She is excited to look into a graduate program that involves conflict resolutions and making the world just a little bit kinder each day. The views in this publication belong to individuals and do not necessarily represent the views of SAPAC. TABLE OF CONTENTS Hum an Rights Abuses 04 Tortured: The Families Left Behind 06 Forced Conversions in Sindh 10 Blasphemy Case of Notan Lal 13 Law Enforcement in Sindh Edu ction and Health 17 System of Education in Sindh 20 Sindh Basic Education Program 22 Rabies Outbreak in Sindh Heritage and Language 25 Sindhi Heritage & Culture 29 Victorious: Preserving the Sindhi language 31 Letters to the Editor 33 Congressional Sindh Caucus 34 References continued HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES winner” for his family, who a number of surgeries. They wonder TORTURED: continues to grieve his if he has clean water and food to eat, disappearance. the lack of which could put his life in THE FAMILIES danger. Dayo’s sister reached out to the LEFT BEHIND Sindhi American Political Action Do you know why your brother was targeted? Enforced Disappearances Committee a number of weeks ago, a move she describes as the family’s “We don’t know why Insaf Ali was Written by Billy Hackett last hope to reunite with Insaf Ali taken, neither was it revealed by the Imagine that you are at work on a Dayo. The following question and abducting people.” day like any other when a group of answer session between myself and armed strangers– a number in Dayo’s sister was conducted over The family had no idea if Insaf Ali military uniforms, others in civilian WhatsApp, with a number of voice Dayo had any connection to politics, clothing– suddenly take you away messages loosely interpreted by and could not see a clear reason as from everything that you know. Fatima Gul, SAPAC’s Executive to why he was targeted. His sister learned only after his abduction that Imagine being a mother whose son Director. years before, when this 30-year-old just suddenly disappears, worried man was in 9th or 10th grade, he had that first night when their son does What was your reaction when you been engaged in some way with a not return home but changed found out that your brother had Sindhi nationalist political party. forever when a night turns into disappeared? Perhaps he had engaged with the months, or even years. “We were shocked to know about party in an official capacity or had this incident.” just been spending time with people For thousands of people in Sindh, in the party, but that– when Dayo with that number increasing each It was a young boy who worked for was a child– seems to be the only day, this is not a mental exercise in Insaf Ali Dayo and ran from the connection to political activity that relative privilege– this is reality. scene of the abduction to deliver the would make him a target. Who takes them? Where do they go? news to his family: “Some people Who can be trusted? Will they ever came and took Insaf away.” This was How has this affected your life or return? tragic news, to say the least, in the that of your family? midst of Rammadan. Dayo’s sister “His forced disappearance has Insaf Ali Dayo, a 30-year-old Sindhi immediately went to see if there was ruined our family and snatched all from Lakarna, Sindh, was forcibly anything that she could do, but our happiness.” disappeared on May 29, 2017– because the scene was clear by the almost three years ago. The time that she arrived she settled for Their mother, an elderly woman abduction was carried out at the asking everyone in the area what who lives with diabetes and victim’s tailor shop by three they had seen. hypertension (high blood-pressure), uniformed policemen and three has not fared well since the others in civilian clothing, who beat Insaf Ali Dayo was not in the best abduction. Her condition is very and blindfolded Dayo before health at the time of his abduction, serious now, having suffered a heart forcing him into their white vehicle and that remains their largest attack with three blocked vessels as at approximately 11 AM. This concern for him. He had kidney well as pulmo tuberculosis. Dayo’s unmarried man was the only “bread- issues and had been recovering from sister, for her part, has been experiencing Sindh Guardian | 4 depression since her brother was taken, and a younger This proclamation was followed by experiences of sister has many kidney stones. His younger brother has how the social fabric of daily life has changed in not been doing well, either. Insaf Ali Dayo was the only Sindh. “A lot” of young boys, from 17 to 25, are being source of income for the entire family, so even without abducted. There is a feeling of despair in the face of factoring in the costs of increased medical attention this inescapable reality, and while countless families they are suffering financially from his disappearance. are affected by these disappearances either directly or through association there is no one to help them. Sindhi families are in a painful place, where they do "In all of our lives we have never not know if their loved ones are OK, or if they will been in a situation like this... this is ever return; it is like torture, except not the physical torture that many of these young victims endure. the most painful time in our lives. I cannot explain how this has SAPAC continues to tell the story of Insaf Ali Dayo in meetings with affected all of our lives, of my Members of Congress, asking that they siblings, and of my mother..." highlight this case. Special thanks to the sister of Insaf Ali How have you organized to get your brother released? Dayo (below) for sharing her personal Have you heard anything from law enforcement or the story. May her bravery and that of her government? family set her brother free. “Police officials have been denying their involvement in [the] disappearance of Insaf Ali…” After hearing that Insaf Ali Dayo had been forcibly disappeared, they began to organize. They arranged protests at the Lakarna press club on a daily basis and recorded their protests. They sent appeals and complaints to public officials. They met with local police officials who denied involvement with the incident, asking for their help to recover Dayo. The police say that there was no record of Dayo having ever committed any crime that warranted his abduction. They even filed a petition in High Court Lakarna through a senior advocate. They mobilize alongside other people who have had family members abducted. It has been almost three years, and they have heard nothing back despite these efforts. How has Sindh changed since these abductions began? “We don’t know about any changes in Sindh. We do not belong to politics.” Sindh Guardian | 5 move to other cities in Pakistan or Multiple religious institutions, FORCED even leave Pakistan and move to seminaries and local mosques do India (2). Furthermore, state not succeed in investigating the age institutions do not provide of the bride and the nature of the CONVERSIONS minorities any protection or access conversion and most of the time to justice. In other words, Pakistan’s they just take the words of the IN SINDH kidnapper. Other institutions like Religious Persecution Human Rights Commission said that police officers usually turn a blind Minhaj-ul-Quran, offer rewards for Written by Ayia Ghazy eye to the reports of abductions and successful conversions to encourage forced conversions. Therefore, they the practice of converting The Issue of Forced Religious exempt perpetrators from being individuals of minority Conversions in Sindh punished or being held accountable communities. They as well claim Evidence presented by many for their actions. In addition, police that this practice is equivalent to academics, journalists and Non- officers will either falsify Haj-e-Akbari, or a Muslim’s greatest governmental organizations show information or refuse to record First religious duty (1).