Thousands of Dalits protest over attacks and discrimination in Pakistan

By Dilip -

In a mass protest 15,000 Hindus, the majority of them Dalits, marched through the streets of Karachi to push for the provincial Government of Sindh in Pakistan to meet their demands for provisions to stop escalating discrimination against Hindus in the region.

The protest was sparked by the murder of two Hindu traders in Umerkot, from the marginalised Malhi community. The murders followed a string of attacks on non-muslim communities in the form of murders, kidnappings, forced conversions and attacks on places of worship. The protest was led by Mr. Lal Malhi, a member of National Assembly of Pakistan on seats reserved for minorities.   
Umerkot, where the non-Muslim population is in the majority, is increasingly becoming a hub of targeted attacks against the Hindu community. Frequent murders, kidnappings and forced conversion of Hindu women are leading to mass exodus of the local population from the area. During last year’s general elections, the Hindu Community yet again faced threats from the powerful elements out to usurp our right to vote. There is neither any special attention to the threat against the local community nor have the provincial and the federal government taken any measures to address the concerns of the local population.
The demand paper presented by the protesters to the Government included a number of key actions to be taken to end the discrimination and attacks lodged at scheduled caste Hindus and other minority groups in Pakistan. The paper included reference to paying particular attention to the plight of scheduled caste Hindus in Sindh, as they are an especially vulnerable group being discriminated against. Protesters also demanded an urgent investigation into the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the Thar desert to address the social, economic and political root-causes of the issue in order the bridge the growing discontent in the region.
The protesters furthermore urged the government to implement the landmark verdict of the Supreme Court of Pakistan announced in May 2014, in which the apex court has asked the government to constitute a National Council for minorities’ rights, to form a Special Police Force for the protection of worship places of minorities and remove hate material from the curriculum. They demanded that measures be taken to implement all the recommendations including enforcement of the relevant policy directives regarding reservation of quota for minorities in all the government services.
Following the protest a committee of the Sindh government, comprising 3 Ministers and senior government officials, accepted all the demands set out in the demand paper, after meeting with a committee including the organizers of the protest. The Sindh government also agreed to form a joint committee for the implementation of the remaining demands and suggestions.
The government also assured in writing that no punitive measure would be taken against the protestors and organizers for staging a demonstration in Karachi. Following the signing of the agreement, the protest was disbanded with a promising outcome to be followed up. There were 15,000 who protested – 80% of them were Dalits, according to the Pakistan Dalit Solidarity Network (PDSN).
Read the demand paper presented to the Sindh Government >>
Read the IDSN briefing note for the UN on religious minorities in Pakistan >>
Learn more about the humanitarian crisis in the Thar desert due to drought and socio-political factors >>

also see

HRW Report: Cleaning Human Waste: Manual Scavenging, Caste, and Discrimination in India The Indian Government should end manual scavenging says Human Rights Watch in the new report, Cleaning Human Waste: "Manual Scavenging," Caste, and Discrimination in India. The report was released together with a short video and received extensive media coverage, read key press clippings here >> . WaterAid also issued a supporting statement >>.

Caste-based discrimination highlighted at the UN Human Rights Council The reports and statements of the new High Commissioner for Human Rights, Special Rapporteur on Slavery and Special Rapporteur on Water and Sanitation at the HRC27 session offered general, thematic as well as state specific observations and recommendations on caste-based discrimination. Please find references to caste-based discrimination at the HRC27 here >> and read the IDSN Recommendations on the issue of caste-based discrimination for the HRC27 session here >>

UN CERD urges Japan to act on discrimination against the Buraku The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) recommends that Japan effectively apply its legislation to protect the Buraku people and provide information and indicators on concrete measures to uplift their living conditions and position in society.

Dalits in Pakistan suffer from severe drought – despite promises to act 1.2 million people and five million livestock in district Tharparkar are now once again in the grip of a severe drought and efforts to prevent future human catastrophies must be stepped up.

Thousands of Dalits protest over attacks and discrimination in Pakistan In a mass protest 15,000 Hindus, the majority of them Dalits, marched through the streets of Karachi to push for the provincial Government of Sindh in Pakistan to meet their demands for provisions to stop escalating discrimination against Hindus in the region. Read also the IDSN briefing note for the UN on religious minorities in Pakistan.

India’s Prime Minister and the President urge the nation to end casteism In two separate speeches India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, and President, Shri Pranab Mukherjee, have stressed the urgent need to end casteism and communal violence splitting the Nation and hampering India’s development.

Nepal: UN Human Rights Council should exert pressure to abolish Haliya practice, a form of slavery The Asian Human Rights Commission have issued a statement to the UN HRC urging them to excerpt pressure on Nepal to end the bonded labour of Dalits in the Haliya system in Nepal.

Dalit girls in Nepal particularly vulnerable to child marriage In an analysis entitled “Nepal: why child marriage persists”, based on findings by Save the Children, World Vision, and Plan, IRIN news highlight that Dalit girls are at particular risk of child marriage in Nepal, and that concerted efforts to change the social welfare for Dalits in Nepal are needed.

EU Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy in the World highlights caste The report includes key references to caste-based discrimination in the chapters on India, Nepal and Pakistan. See the caste references here >> and read the full report here >>

Six year remembrance day for the victims of the Kandhamal communal violence, observed across India Six years ago, on 25th of August, communal violence in Kandhamal, Odisha, destroyed 6,500 houses and displaced more than 56, 000 people, most of them Dalits or Adivasis. The victims and their families still await justice, the day was marked by solidarity actions across the country and a set of demands were presented by the victims.

Video: New Documentary film on the Devadasi practice: The Holy Wives

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