Chandar Kolhi alias Javed Shaikh was recently rescued from bonded labour by rights activists in district Thatta Sindh. He was bonded by a landlord named Luqman Palari for Rs. 200 (about 3 US $). He worked for two years without any payment.

Recently rights activists got information about his been in slavery. After getting a clue of place Ghulam Hussain & Ms. Lalee Kolhi(herself bonded labour for more than 18 years & rescued by rights activists) reached there. After arguments & threats by the landlord & his henchmen the activist’s team successfully rescued the peasant.

According to Ms. Lalee at one moment the both parties were ready for physical confrontation. One of the manager of landlord threatened the team & said that administration & law will do nothing against them and if someone is in debt of just five Rs. than they have right to take bonded labour from him/her. Chandar is now safely at the under construction residential colony for freed bonded labour.

But the agony of Chandar does not stop here. Some three years ago when he was working independently on a farm he was happily married with three children, some molvies (Islamic preachers) contacted him & according to him they drove him to Karachi (only metropolitan city of
Pakistan) and treated well. The molvies offered him the better life & marriage with a muslim woman after converting to Islam. The burden of cast system had adverse effects on him and was attracted by the glamour of urban muslim life and converted to Islam and became muslim but his wife refused to become muslim and went back to her parents.

After his conversion molvies distanced from him & during his wandering he was trapped by landlord. Now after rescue he is still in dilemma because officially he is muslim and according to the rules of Shariat (Islamic laws) he can not become hindu again.

His family is still not willing to become muslim. We the social & rights activists think that the international pressure on government can repeal the controversial Shariat laws.

Aslam Khwaja is a journalist and an activist working on labour and peace issues. He can be reached at 0092-300-7030972 or lathrolak@yahoo.com

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