Hyderabad: Hundreds of protesters marched in Hyderabad city against the murder of three Hindus in Shikarpur on the call of Joint Action Committee for Peace and Justice. The protest march began from the Besant Hall, a 20th century Theosophical Society icon of Sindh under the slogan of “Fill the Besant Hall against Religious Intolerance.”
The marchers that walked on in various roads of the down town for a few hours culminated into congregations in front of Hyderabad Press Club. The prominent of which were Punhal Sariyo (Sindh Harri Porhiyat Council), Zulfiqar Shah (Institute for Social Movements), Rasool Bux Palejo (Awami Tehreek), Amar Sindhu (Women Action Forum), Mustafa Baloch (Strengthening Participatory Organization), Dr. Ashothama (Human Rights Commission of Pakistan), Jabar Bhatti (Indus Institute for Research and Education), Mahesh Kumar (We Journalist, Pakistan), Jaffer Memon (Hyderabad Press Club), Iqbal Mallah, Shehnaz Shidi (South Asia Partnerships Pakistan), Akash Mallah (Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz) Noor Nabi Rahoojo and Vishno Mal(Awami Jamhoori Party), Jan Mohammad Junejo (Sindh Tarraqi Pasand Party), Nawaz Khan Zaunr (Jeay Sindh Mahaz), Seher Rizvi (Sindh United Party), Hafeez Kumbhar, Noor Mohammad Bajeer (Civil Society Support Program), Parveen Magsi (Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum), Kashif Bajeer (SPARC), Taj marri (Awami Party), Zahid Messo (Bhandar Sangat), Ikhtyar Tunio (SDPD Nawabsha), Rahmatullah Truk (VISWA – Matyari), Advocate Sajjad Chandio, Advocate Inderjit Luhano, Abass Khoso (IRADO) and others.
A declaration was read out and was unanimously carried by the participants. The resolution is as under:
Sindh contains a peculiar status among the federating units of Pakistan due to its historic nonviolent, mystic, brotherhood and democratic outlook. This peculiarity of Sindh which is known as Sindhyat (Sindhihood) in the indigenous inhabitants is been under attack socially and politically by the nondemocratic elements. These war monger elements has patronized and aired the lawlessness, fiefdom and tribalism in the northern parts of the province.
One of the brutal most of the attempts to destabilize Sindh through the Feudal – Mullha nexus is to create an environment of fear and harassment that compels the Hindu community towards exodus – the community forms the larger part of the middle class as well as business fraternity of the Sindh society.
The conscious people of Sindh are of the firm opinion that the Chak, Shikarpur carnage in which three innocent Hindus were brutally murdered is part of such an attempt, which cause exodus of Sindh people on the gun point. This is an attack on the secular Sindhihood of the people of Sindh.
The conscious people of Sindh believes in the unity among the diversity of the religions and condemns this coward attempt and term it an attack on the social and national unity as well as heterogeneous culture of Sindhi people.
The people of Sindh demand:
1. Nominated culprits of the Chak carnage should be arrested immediately.
2. The investigation should be carried for the identification of planners and supporter individuals, religious as well as political organizations and involved tribal leadership so that the families of the victims could be provided with the justice.
3. The security of the honor, lives and properties of the minorities should be ensured by the State as devised by the constitution of Pakistan.
4. An FIR by the state itself should be lodged with the consultation as well as satisfaction of the grieved families.
5. The real culprits of the Chak carnage should only be arrested. The detention of the innocent persons should absolutely be avoided.
6. The police, administration and elected representives must be made accountable for any attempt or act of damages to the lives and properties of the minorities.
7. The heinous crime of forced conversions through forced marriages by some Madersah’s Sindh should be stopped immediately and a necessary legislation should be made in this regards.
8. The forced and illegal snorting of funds from minorities should be stopped.
9. The kidnapping of Hindus should be checked by ensuring security to the communities.
10. The tribal chiefs and feudal lords should equally be treated as criminal in the eyes of law if they support criminal elements in harassing the minorities.
11. A judicial inquiry should be conducted for the Pano Aqil and Chak carnages.
12. An environment of freedom of entertaining the religious ceremonies and traditions should be ensured to the Hindus as well as other minorities by providing appropriate security to the religious pilgrimages and other saccade places.
13. All discriminating articles and clauses of the Constitution of Pakistan should be repealed.
Courtesy » Sindhi e-lists/ e-groups, Nov 14, 2011
Indus Asia Online Journal (Click here to go to home page) 