FACELESS PERSONS OF SINDH

["R. Mirpuri" <intramir@YAHOO.COM>]

>From: R. Mirpuri
Here's a gruesome story of how, in Pakistan, Hindu Sindhis [in
disproportionately high numbers] of modest means, today continue to be
kidnapped for ransom. And feel the author's disgust of this when he
expresses ..."Suddenly you disown the society you were nurtured and
brought up in. You become an alien in your own country...." And as he
reports: "The kidnapping for ransom is a well-established multimillion
industry in the interior of Sindh."

Read the article below.

Regards,
R.Mirpuri

[Ed. note: Amar Jaleel is a well-known Sindhi author.  Among his
famous works is a Sindhi book is 'jaddehn maan na huundusi'..  For
some of his other commentaries, see:

http://home4.pacific.net.sg/~makhdoom/sindying.html
"Dying In Sindh"  about killings of Sindhis by Dacoits and Police.

http://www.millat.com/ghalibcom/events/nawaz%20exile/a_great_escape.htm
Amar Jaleel's satirical commnetary about events in Pakistan.

http://www.sanalist.org/Convention_1999.htm the second article "Mystic
Notes: Sindhis in San Francisco" is about the 1999 SANA convention.

http://www.awdalnews.com/wmview.php?ArtID=2991
"The tunnel - Would Allah dump Mother Teresa in Hell for she was not a
Muslim?"

http://www.angelfire.com/az/Sindh/per5.html
"Shaikh Ayaz" the second article at the website.

Also see recent postings on sindh-l about protests against the
kidnappings and

http://www.sindhlink.net/wsc/2004/Sindh-Human-Rights%20v%206.pdf

for a general description of the human rights situation in Sindh.]

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From:Dawn Internet Edition October 31, 2004

Faceless persons of Sindh
By Amar Jaleel

In Sindh, kidnapping for ransom is a common phenomenon
in which unseen hands play a more damaging role than
the seen ones.

The same story, but with different characters, is
reprinted in instalments everyday in the newspapers
published from Sindh. Such stories do not find space
in English and Urdu newspapers. Since the stories are
read with interest and enthusiasm, the editors publish
these shocking stories with extra fanfare on the front
page. The cut-throat competition for circulation among
the newspapers deepens with the in-depth reporting of
the awesome stories.

While following such stories one wonders, are we
living in an anarchic country? Is ours a lawless land
where crime and criminals go scot-free? You are
constrained to believe whether lawmakers are hand in
glove with the lawbreakers. Such stories leave you
dumped in a morbid feeling of helplessness. Suddenly
you disown the society you were nurtured and brought
up in. You become an alien in your own country. You
curse the day you were born to your mother among the
callous people.

In a gruesome story, a person of moderate means is
abducted for ransom. In most of the stories the
abducted person happens to be a Hindu. Not as a rule,
but generally the abducted Hindu belongs either to
Kandhakot, Kashmore, Jacobabad, Shikarpur, or to
Sukkar [Sakharu] and Ghotki. The reporters, along with
photographers, intrude into the house of the victim,
and capture appalling pictures of the wailing mother,
wife, children, and sisters of the victim. The
photographs promptly appear on the front page of the
newspapers along with the file photo of the kidnapped
person. The editors provide all sorts of assistance to
the reporters and the photographers in following the
story. Grisly reporting guarantees increase in the
circulation of the newspaper.

The police, as usual, refuse to register the case;
thus they provide ample opportunity to the kidnappers
to get away as far as possible. The relatives contact
the Nazims and the Counsellors for getting the case
registered. They either express their helplessness, or
dish out empty promises to the relatives for the
recovery of the kidnapped person. The frustrated
relatives of the victim then embark upon the tedious
task of contacting the MPA and the MNA of their area.
Reportedly, in some stories, the victim and his
relatives had provided substantive monetary assistance
to the two elected representatives during their
election campaigns.

Interestingly, the MPAs and MNAs elected from the
interior of Sindh, most of the time, enjoy their life
in Karachi or Islamabad. They do not make themselves
available for listening to the grievances of the
relatives of the kidnapped person.

Meanwhile, to keep the interest of the readers in the
story alive the reporters and the photographers
constantly keep visiting the house of the victim. They
interview the ailing mother of the kidnapped person.
They take numerous pictures of the hysterical wife.

In one of the episodes of the story the reporters
swarm the police station and try to find out the
reason for not registering the case. After a fiery
exchange of words with the journalists police
Officials reluctantly register a case against unknown
kidnappers. In the meantime, the abductors convey
their staggering demand for ransom to the perturbed
family for the release of the kidnapped person. Soon
thereafter the family begins paying the price for
getting the case registered. Almost everyday, the SHO
along with five or six police constables, visits the
residence of the victim. He questions each family
member. The servants and the maid are interrogated and
beaten to divulge their connection with the unknown
kidnappers. During their stay with the family the
police party enjoys sumptuous meals, drinks, and what
not.

The kidnapping for ransom is a well-established
multimillion industry in the interior of Sindh. The
industry efficiently operates unhindered through a
cleverly designed system of its own. The criminals are
called Dharels. They do not operate on their own. They
are harboured and protected by the influential and
well-connected persons. They are called the
Patharedars. In most instances they rub shoulders with
the people in the corridors of power. People who
really matter in Pakistan happen to be their constant
guests. They relish their luxurious hospitality and
enjoy the thrills of guided hunting expeditions in the
interior of Sindh.

Like a commodity a kidnapped person changes hands, and
is sold from one party to the other on lucrative
terms. Agony of the abducted person and his family
mounts. The Patharedars desist from entering into
negotiations directly. The amount of ransom is
negotiated through the police and the 'third party.'
In case a family is not able to meet the demands of
the kidnappers, the abducted person is killed, and his
body is thrown in front of his house to serve as
warning to the would-be victims of the kidnappings.

The Patharedars own movable and immovable rural and
urban properties, and live a luxurious life. Whereas,
the Dharels live an ignoble life under subhuman
conditions within the confines of the thick forests
strewn with snakes, scorpions, poisonous insects,
hyenas, wolves, and the wild boars. Except for
protection from law enforcing agencies the Patharedars
give nothing to the Dharels. If need be, a sick or
wounded Dharel is eliminated.

In the successful deals the names of police offers,
Dharels, and the negotiators are revealed to the
readers of the newspapers. But, the name of the
influential person on whose 'intervention' the
kidnapped person is set free is never divulged. He
remains faceless, and nameless.



http://www.dawn.com/weekly/dmag/dmag5.htm

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