Humanity under attack in Tharparker, Pakistan

A Thakur Chief Minister Arbab Ghulam Rahim of Sindh, elected by Thakur Vice Chief of Army Staff General Yousuf Qaimkhani, now retired, has made the life of everybody miserable in his home district except the Thakurs.

From gang-rapes, rapes, theft of cattle, forced occupation of opponents lands, eviction of poor people from their abodes, disconnection of irrigation water supply to the opponents to use of the police as a private force commanded the relatives of Arbab Rahim, having involvement in widespread violations against the poverty-stricken people the man gone beyond moral limitations to behave like a mini-god in his fiefdom.

Whether his mentors know it or not, the way the humanity is being rubbed under the shoes of Arbab family in the desert and mostly drought region of Tharparker and the cries and weeps emanating from the silver dunes may reach the sky one day as the idea of living a life with respect and security in Tharparker has simply vanished.

Some bold political and social activists who tried to put resistance to the naked forms of human rights violations committed by Arbabs nephews Arbab Ghaffar, Arbab Attaur Rehman and Arbab Taj Mohammad and others have finally ended up in torture cells of police but manned by Arbabs private specially trained force, which uses some horrible form of torture.

1. UC Nazim of Jhirmirio, Mr. Mohan Lal Meghwar, who is the only supporter of the PPP among eight union councils of Tehsil Diplo was arrested on May 13, 2005 from Thatta in an absurd FIR that he had gobbled up Rs57,000, being his salary. Mohan was re-arrested from Central Jail Hyderabad, following his release on bail. His fault is his brother Engr. Gianchand contested the general election against Arbab Ghulam Rahim and even Shaukat Aziz. Arbabs opening follow the Hindustic caste system where they claim to be of upper caste blood while Gianchand belongs to lower caste. Perhaps they subscribes to the tyrannical law of ancient times compiled in Manusamriti, which reads,
a. A low-caste man who tries to place himself on the same seat with a man of high caste shall be branded on his hip and be banished, or [the king] shall cause his buttock to be gashed. (Any form of punishment for this 'crime').
b. An upper caste man may confidently seize the goods of [his] Shudra [slave], for, as that [slave] can have no property, his master may take his possessions [_]
Even in the era of enlightened moderation the Chief Minister House-II at Dhodharo still keeps separate utensils for the low caste Hindus.

2. Mir Mohammad Khan Lund, an elderly political and social activist was arrested from him home in village, Kaloi, in Tharperker district, hardly 7 kms from Arbabs on Sunday, May 29, 2005. His fault is that he has been opposing Arbabs since 1977 and is a PPP Jiyala. He had landed in police lockup and torture cells for over two dozen times by Arbabs who never go out of power for the always needed the support of police. Mohammad Khan Lund has been implicated in a false FIR, even whose complainant says that Lund has nothing to do with his case and that he is innocent.
Wielding continuous grip over the police by Arbabs have made the innocent people of the desert to believe that no one earth is more powerful than Arbabs. People heard comments of the women at village wells, having sympathies with Mohtrama Benazir Bhutto, that why dont she ask Arbab to get Asif Ali Zardari released instead of suffering so much!
The telephone department also disconnected the two telephone connections of Mohammad Khan Lund in Kaloi so that they could not inform the situation to the rest of the country.

3. Jam Saqi, an elderly and respected political activist was arrested in Hyderabad for the reasons that he dared to visit Khetlari, the native village of Arbab Ghulam Rahim, to probe HR abuses and gang-rapes there at the hands of Arbabs nephews. The Jam-led HRCP teams visit had dented to some extent the myth that no body in Pakistan can hold any probe against the Arbabs thus a knee-jerk reaction by Arbab Ghulam Rahim to implicate him in a false case on May 30.
He was released the other day, but the Hyderabad police again raided his home to re-arrest him but failed as Jam Saqi was not available there. Police misbehaved with female members.

4. Arbab Murad Ali, a 70-year-old advocate and opponent of Arbab, was arrested from his village Bhukirio, near Arbabs village, for standing as an advocate for Mir Mohammad Khan Lund. Last month, he was arrested in an electricity theft case.

5. Santosh Kumar Valasai, a wireless head constable of police resident of Kaloi, was picked up from Dadu where he was transferred as punishment for not toeing the line of Arbabs. He is being tortured at an unknown place and the relatives have feared for his life.

These serial arrests of the opponents, especially of those belonging to the PPP started following an incident in Khetlari. A poor labourer Aatam Meghwar of the village had unsuccessfully resisted the rape of his sister at gun-point. Months later, he was picked up by armed men of the Arbab from his home and taken to Chief Minister House-II where very inhuman torture was inflicted upon him. The Arbabs torture team also pumped petrol and red chillies power into his ???? (imagine yourself). Some area people say he was even sodomized several times. Such forms of torture are routine matter in the Arbabs fiefdom.

Aatam Meghwars mother fled from the village and reached the HRCP office in Karachi. Her other son filed a complaint with the Human Rights Commission of Pakistans Secretary General Iqbal Haider. Mr. Haider sent Jam Saqi to the village, and what followed is mentioned above.

Why do the Arbab regime has lost its all senses and went on to such a knee-jerk reaction? The answer is simple, Aatam Meghwars mother can tell the horrible tales of gang-rapes and rapes of Scheduled Caste Meghwar and Muslim Bajeer tribes in Khetlari if she is not ferreted out and done to silence.

Hurry up all those who really respect the basic human rights until the SOS cries from Tharparker are silenced by torture, threats, arrests, as the humanity is under attack in the desert of Tharparker.

The Chief Justice Supreme Court of Pakistan and Chief Justice Sindh High Court is requested to take suo moto of the happenings in Tharparker.

We request Mohtrama Benazir Bhutto to raise the issue.