Ram Pyari Oad

The plight of Ram Pyari Oad

August 13, 2015: On this occasion of Pakistan's independence Manthar Oad wants to leave the country for India because he has failed to receive justice and is desperate due to the insecurity of his family. He has already lost his elder daughter. Father of Ram Piyari, a 13-year- old Hindu girl, who was first kidnapped and later produced in a court as Fatima, the new convert to Islam, Manthar does not want to live anymore in Pakistan. 

Manthar is desperate because he has failed to receive justice from the courts, he found police and the civil society non-cooperative and he even did not receive a positive response from Nadir Magsi, an MPA of PPP, whose tribe’s people had kidnapped his 11 to 12-year girl. “I took Holy Quran to Nadir Magsi for recovery of my daughter, but he also did not help me.” 

A meson by profession and expert in making homes from the earthen mud, Oad actually belongs to the Jhal Magsi area of Balochistan but was busy making walls for a well-off member of the Magsi tribe in the Sindh side of the Magsi area in village Gul Hassan Dhori Magsi, Taluka Qubo Saeed Khan. His family was staying at the piece of land owned by Magsis for the completion of the work. On 19th April 2015, some people from the Magsi tribe entered his home and kidnapped his daughter Rampyari. 

The poor worker went to the police but they did not register a case of kidnapping. He also approached the high police official of the Larkana Division including DIG but in vain. 

Ram Pyari's mother (Heeran) on May 6, 2015, filed a Criminal Miscellaneous Application in the Court of Additional Sessions Judge, Kamber under Section 491 Cr. P.C., praying therein to issue Rule Nisi through Respondent No. 2 to 5 to recover the detainee Ram Piyari and produce her before the court for recording her statement, and she may be set at liberty. 

On June 2, 2015, the Additional Sessions Judge, Kamber ordered to send the girl to Dar-ul-Aman and the Dar-ul-Aman authorities were asked to get a Medical examination of Ram Pyari for the purpose of determination of age and produce her on the next date of hearing on June 10, 2015.

One of the accused kidnappers Abdul Karim son of Allah Dino Magsi filed the Criminal Miscellaneous Application No. 77/2015 in the High Court of Sindh, Larkana Circuit at Larkana against the Additional Sessions Judge, Kamber's orders of June 2. On the next hearing on June 24, 2015, the single Judge bench of the High Court of Sindh, Larkana Circuit at Larkana headed by Mr Justice Shah Nawaz Tariq permitted Fatima (Ram Pyari) to pass her life as per her choice after her statement in the court. The in-charge Dar-ul-Aman, Larkana was asked to hand over the custody of Fatima to her husband Fida Hussain after the completion of codal formalities. In an affidavit of free will submitted on 24.04.2015 Fatima swore that her marriage has already been consummated with her husband Fida Hussain out of her love and since then they were residing happily. She further submitted that neither she was kidnapped nor forced for embracing Islam for performing her Nikah with her husband. She further submitted that her statement was also recorded by the Court of Sessions Judge, Kamber-Shahdadkot and she had narrated the same facts before the said Court. She said that she may be allowed to join her husband at her own sweet will. 

“I went to a Hindu lady lawyer, who is famous for taking Hindu girls’ cases. The lady lawyer asked me not to lodge an FIR,” recalls Manthar. 

Some relatives had advised Manthar to hire a lawyer from his community who is practising in Umerkot.
Because he thought that a lawyer of his own community Oad would be helpful to him, so Manthar met with the lawyer Suhino Oad in Umerkot and requested him to contest his case. The reputation of the lawyer Oad is not so good in the area as his colleagues have the same impression about him and it proved when he never appeared for Manthar in court. Suhino Mal Oad always sent his junior to appear in court, who knew nothing about the legal system and did not utter a single word in support of the case in court. Mathar had already paid Suhino Oad, advocate an amount of Rs. 21,000 as a fee. 

Manthar is also a victim of the government doctor, who verified the age of the girl by 15 years. At the request of the father of the Sessions, the court had ordered to conduct a medical exam of the girl to ascertain her age. The Medical Superintendent of Chandka Medical College Hospital, Larkana stated that the approximate age of Mst. Fatima w/o Fida Hussain, d/o Manthar Oad appears to be about (15) Fifteen years. 

A scanned copy of the medical certificate issued by the Medical Superintendent of Chandka Medical College, Larkana, showing the age of the girl as 15 years.

Interestingly, the SHC judge did not object to the age of 15 years as according to a new law in Sindh (The Sindh Child Marriages Restraint Act 2013) marriage cannot be solemnized at the age below 18 years. 

Manthar was in Karachi till today (Aug. 13) waiting for the filing of an appeal in a division bench of the Sindh High Court against the verdict of the SHC single bench at Larkana. Although the new lawyer is quite helpful and very kind to Oad, the desperate Manthar wants to go back to the Kambar Shahdadkot area, to acquire legal documents of his children like birth certificates and B forms so he can make their passports in order to leave Pakistan. “I want to go to Delhi as some relatives are already there,” he told me.

When he told me this I did not say a word to him or asked him not to go to India. I was speechless because he said at least his family would be safe in India. In Pakistan, according to him, police, doctors, lawyers and so-called civil society are helpless and even they prove they are slaves of the influential people who do not have any mercy to poors. 

(Note: All names in the above text are real).

PS: 
Following is my post on FaceBook dated: September 28, 2015

Today I called on the cell phone of the late Manthar Oad, the deceased father of Ram Pyari Oad, who has been kidnapped by Magsis of Shahdadkot (backed by Nadir Magsi of PPP) and forcibly converted to Islam. The phone was picked up by Mumtaz Oad, brother of Manthar Oad. He was in Nawabshah where Manthar and his father have been buried. Oads, belonging to low caste/schedule caste Hindus bury their dead instead of cremation. I offered my condolences to him. He told me that since he had returned from Karachi, Manthar was feeling ill. "We took him to doctors, who tested his blood and took X-rays but did not find any serious sickness." Doctors said he was suffering from jaundice (not hepatitis, as I asked whether it was Kari Kaman). Mumtaz said the entire family had eaten dinner together that night and they were having chit-chat till late at night. And they found him dead early in the morning. On hearing of Manthar's death, their father also died within one hour's time. I asked a ridiculous question: whether they had drunk some poisonous liquor in the night because often sudden deaths are reported in the past because of the consumption of poisonous local wine. But he denied it. He told me the family of Manthar was with them in Nawabshah as they actually belong to that area, but Manthar went to Qambar Shahdadkot and Jhal Magsi areas for work. Oads are famous for the mud construction of homes and walls. Rip Manthar and his father.

Sasui Punhu

Sasui-Punhu

The annual Mela of ‘Sasui &Punhu” is observed every year at their joint grave in Balochistan’s Vinder area on full moon nights of the Islamic month of Shabaan. 

The folklore character of Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai’s Risalo, Sasui is widely sung in Sufi music in Pakistan. Shah Bhitai has dedicated five Surs (chapters) of his Risalo (collection of his poetry) only to Sasui. The name of Sasui can also be found in other Surs of Bhitai's Risalo. 

It is said Sasui had travelled right from Bhambhore in Sindh’s coastal area to Kech-Makran in Balochistan in search of her beloved husband, Punhoon who had married her at Bhambhor, but his brothers forcible took him back to their area. Sasui’s journey towards the Ketch area in Balochistan was very difficult but she made it possible with her dedication to the cause and to find back her love. She passed through the difficult, dry and deserted area of the Lasbela district, where the population is scant. At this place, one shepherd resorted to a criminal attack on Sasui. She prayed to God and the earth was torn into two and she disappeared in the gap. Punhu, later in her search back reached the place where he identified the piece of cloth, which was left outside after her disappearance in the earth. He also prayed to God and once again the earth opened her mouth (gap) and he also went to meet his bride inside it. 

The hilly and hard terrain area towards Sasui’s grave is difficult to access as no metaled road or public transport is available to reach the area, which is located about 20 km from the road in the west of Vinder tahsil of Lasbela district of Balochistan. Only a katcha track for 4X4 jeep is the source to reach the place. On the way, the vehicles have to pass at least two difficult passes of hills.

Traditional Sindhi wrestling (Malh, Malkhro), Sufi music, food, and gift items are part of the Mela celebrations. A large number of people (all men) from Sindh and Balochistan attend the annual Urs. They reach on motorcycles or 4X4 vehicles. Females are not allowed at the time of the Mela to attend as the organizers consider that allowing women may spoil the spiritual experience of the event as some professional women may also enter the Mela and offer male visitors their sex or perform dances, like in such occasions on other shrines in Sindh and Balochistan. The caretaker Abdul Rahman told me that it would be difficult to distinguish the "good" women and “loose women”, so all women are kept away as Hifz-e-Matqadam (prevention). Other than Mela days women are allowed to visit and offer prayers.

There is no government support available for the organisers, only some well-off devotees from Sindh or Balochistan contribute to organising this event, where free food is available for all devotees during the Urs days. The government of Balochistan or its Auqaf or Culture departments are absent and no government official provides any logistic support to the private organisers. 

Although it is fun to visit this picturesque area, there is a need to provide easy access to common people, at least a metalled road and drinking water facilities at the time of Mela. 

Malala - From Hope to Pride

Malala - From Hope to Pride

October 10, 2014: I am really happy today. I know the majority of people in Pakistan are also happy because Malala Yousufzai, the champion of girls' education has won the coveted Nobel Peace Prize 2014 along with an Indian child rights activist Shri Kailash Satyarthi. 

But it is also a fact that many in Pakistan are not happy at all because they always find a conspiracy if the West supports any good cause or a person. At the time when Taliban terrorists attacked Malala in Mangora KPK in 2012 when she along with other girl students was returning in the school van, many such people in Pakistan thought it was not Taliban terrorists but CIA or RAW agents who attacked her, even though Taliban spokesperson had accepted the responsibility and also resolved to attack her again. Two other girls were also injured due to the firing. These same people then raised objections that why Malala is receiving such huge international attention when two other girls were also injured in the attack. Although those two girls also received medical treatment the main target of the attack was Malala, whom the Taliban thought was a threat to their nefarious designs. Taliban central leader Adnan Rashid even wrote a letter to Malala after her speech at the United Nations and advised her to take admission to an Islamic Madressah. He clarified that the Taliban were not against education, but this type of Western education. “Taliban believed that you were intentionally writing against them and running a smearing campaign to malign their efforts to establish an Islamic system in Swat. Your writings were provocative,” he stated in the letter. 

Sometimes I feel sad that our people in Pakistan have become so saddest and narrow-minded that they always find some sort of conspiracy in every good thing that happens to some anti-Taliban elements. I still did not expect such stupidity from the educated masses, who are even sad on the occasion that a Pakistani daughter had received such a big laurel.

This is an unusual occasion in our lives at the turn of history as overall there is overwhelming happiness across the country. But social media websites, Twitter and FaceBook, are also full of such shits against Malala, which is really amazing and unfortunate. 

Even some so-called broadminded people write anti-Malala comments and apologetic posts, that I sometimes beat my head. An old friend of mine who happens to be a journalist with a PhD in Mass Communication from a foreign university wrote a comment on one of my posts: "systematically disgracing Pakistan as a country where girls are not allowed to get an education; so why the majority of medical graduates are girls... CIA zindabad. NGObaaz paindabaad!"

This was just a personal example. Here is another example: There is a group on Face Book called "Pakistani Freethinkers" which is run by a group of unknown moderators, one of them is Mr Ghulam Rasool. He congratulates Pakistanis on Malala's winning Nobel with a big "But" and raises questions about why Maulana Edhi was not given this award. 

I write this blog not to criticise anyone because it is an occasion of celebrations and I am really happy and rejoice.

Two years back Taliban terrorists attacked Malala in her hometown Mangora in Swat because she had waged a peaceful 'crusade' for girls' education and her crusade against Taliban's attacks on schools especially girls' schools had raised many eyebrows in Pakistan. Taliban were angry because a frail girl was speaking against them and their bombing of schools in the media and the world was listening to her attentively. She not only challenged the Taliban's anti-education activities in Swat valley but during their control and terror's reign in the valley she wrote a student's diary with a pen name Gulmakai for BBC Urdu noting the impressions of a school child on the fearful situation in the valley. After the Army operation in Swat and Malakand in 2008, Malala revealed the fact that she was actually Gulmakai, since then her family started receiving threats from the Taliban. 

The Government of Pakistan recognised her services when an international children's advocacy group KindsRights Foundation nominated her for the International Children's Peace Prize, for her courageous writings. Although she did not receive that international award, the then Prime Minister of Pakistan Yousuf Raza Gilani decorated her with National Youth Peace Prize in 2012. 

It was actually a turning point in Malala's life. She became a celebrity as the media started paying attention to her. Many channels did packages on her life and activities and a few TV channels invited her to their morning programmes. She also came to Karachi along with her father Ziaur Rehman in early 2012 to attend a morning show by a leading TV channel. They stayed in PILER's hostel at Gulshan-e-Maymar for a couple of days. We had many interactions with Malala and her father Ziaur Rehman and a formal meeting was also arranged on January 4, 2012, with the PILER staff in which she read out a page of her diary. (Watch the video:) 

Again they visited Karachi when the Sindh provincial government announced a cash award of Rs. 500,000 and named a government school at Burns Road after Malala's name. During that visit, she had inaugurated the nameplate of that school. We again held many interactions with her and her father. A function was also organised in her honour at PILER. This time about 100 children of the flood affectees' school at the nearby Labour Square Camp attended and listened to her speech. She gave an impressive talk to the children. I am convinced that her father is the main force behind her grooming and above all her successes.

Unfortunately, she was seriously injured in October 2012 in a terrorist attack by the Taliban in Mangora, Swat. It was really a very depressing moment for many of us. I wrote a blog on 10th October 2012 "Malala: An icon of courage and hope" and interestingly exactly two years after that (on 10 October 2014) I am writing another blog on her winning the Nobel Peace Prize 2014. 

Today things have changed in Pakistan. Now Taliban are on the run as they are facing the worst kind of situation in Pakistan because Pakistan Army has launched operation Zarb-e-Azb in North Waziristan, their stronghold. Hundreds of Taliban terrorists have reportedly been killed and the key terrorists and leaders have either left Pakistan and are hiding in Afghanistan or they are living in other tribal areas in disguising. But still, the threat of terrorism exists in Pakistan as suicide bombing and other terrorist activities are happening in different parts of the country. 

Malala should not return to Pakistan at least for the period she completes her education. She has still many threats and the conditions in Pakistan are not favourable for her. A section of the society is not happy as they are mostly Taliban apologists. Swat valley is still not so free from terrorists and safe, even though Army has restored peace and tourism in the valley has resumed.

It is pity that two Pakistani have received Nobel Peace Prize and both were unable to return to their countries. Dr. Abdus Salam received Nobel Price in Physics in 1979, but because he was Qadiani and in 1977 Pakistan's parliament declared Qadianis as "Non-Muslims." Now Malala has received, but she has a life threat from the Taliban. 

In the end, I again wish Malala big success in all her endeavours for improving education in developing countries including Pakistan.

Danboro Village, Umerkot district in Thar desert of Sindh

Danboro Village 

A model village in Sindh's desert (in Umerkot district) with all facilities, but scant usage

There is a village in Umerkot in Thar desert (on the way between Umerkot and Khokhrapar), which has almost every basic civic facility including safe drinking water (through RO plant) besides water supply through pipes, a basic health unit (BHU) with a good and new building, a primary school, a middle school, electricity, a community centre and a metalled road. I have never seen all such facilities in a small village like this, but it is true that Village Danboro has all. This is a real model village. All the people belong to the Samo family and Muslims.

The newly constructed beautiful building of Basic Health Unit.

 

See the political influence of this development scheme
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But the secrete behind all such developments in a remote village in the desert is very interesting. This is the village of once a driver and now a manager of Addi Faryal Talpur, sister of President Asif Ali Zardari. This is also a pride for the villagers that Hamid Samo is the servant of the highly influential family of the country.

Picture shows the once driver with Mrs. Faryal Talpur.

The pictures are placed at the house of Humid Samo.

All "chamatkar" development has happened thanks to the personal efforts of the influential person of the village, but such a powerful person is also unable to bring doctors at the BHU and teachers in the schools, thanks to poor governance of PPP for the last five years. The BHU's building was inaugurated early this year, but it has still not started functioning properly. Separate residences are provided for the doctor adjacent to the medical centre, but no doctor bothers to live in them, leave alone come on a daily basis to provide medical facilities to these people. Medicines and other medical equipment including oxygen gas cylinders are lying unattended in the hospital's vacant rooms, and even basic furniture is still not provided. Villagers told a doctor sometimes comes for a few hours in the BHU, whereas the unit is run by paramedical staff. There are nine member of staff in the BHU.

What is the use of an Oxygen cylinder in such a situation in a room in BHU

Medicines are lying here and there in such a pathetic condition.

Residential quarters are provided for doctors, but they are not willing to live here.

Similar is the situation in the two schools. Villagers told, there is only one teacher in the primary school and three teachers are coming to the middle school for teaching to the students of the village. You can imagine the standard of education in such a situation.

Primary school

Middle school

Interestingly there is a Reverse Osmosis (RO) plant in the village along with a diesel-operated generator to provide safe drinking water to the people, but it is not functioning these days. The villagers are provided water through the water supply pipeline.

RO Plant

There are two separate community centres in this village, one of them has been recently constructed, thanks to the driver of the most influential person in Sindh. You can see the use of the new community centre in the picture below. Interestingly the Community Centre is located adjacent to the residence of Hamid Samo, which can only be used as an Otaq. An older community centre was already there in the village, but of no use.

Outside view of the Community Centre, the blue building is the residence of Hamid Samo.

   

This can be one use of a community centre in a village.

This is also a community centre building in the village.

 The villagers are very proud of having a son, who is the servant of the king's family. The house of that person is really an oasis in the desert. Many village youths are employed as government servants, of course, because of their influential personalities.

A residence with an air conditioner and geyser, which the city people also do not have. 

I was very happy but amazed to see such a model village, where besides all basic civic facilities one can see a beautiful valley-like view if one stands at the gate of the newly constructed BHU in the village. The canopy-typed huts of the village with a metalled road give a panorama look at the village. God bless this small village and its dwellers.

A panoramic view

Villagers told a Lahore-based organisation is constructing a mosque for the villagers, who all are Muslims.

Cattle are an inevitable part of rural life..

Simultaneously, this village is a classical example and an eye opener for all of us that how development is prioritise in our province, where those who have some links with the political families can easily get access to the development, whereas a huge majority of the population is deprived of even some basic facilities like safe drinking water, sewerage and primary healthcare etc.

View all pictures of the village: https://picasaweb.google.com/108561377360783501595/Danburo_Umerkot_Aug62013?authuser=0&feat=directlink

Malala: An icon of courage and hope

Malala: An icon of courage and hope

October 10: Since yesterday I am angry, full of hatred against the Taliban and the Pakistani establishment, of course, depressed with a sense of helplessness since I heard the news about the terrorist attack on Malala Yousufzai, the courageous daughter of Swat, who used her pen to expose the atrocities of Taliban during their control in the valley. She along with other girl students of her father’s school was shot at in Mangora by terrorists when they were going to their school. Taliban have accepted responsibility for the attack. These evil agents of darkness and enemies of humanity as well as girls' education, the Taliban have tried to silence one frail girl but with a bold voice. Their nefarious designs seem successful with this attack as the girl has received serious wounds. All this is happening in Swat with state support and patronage. Despite the presence of the Army in the valley with barricades on every nook and corner, the terrorists escaped safely without any trace. Everyone is condemning, even the apologist political leaders like Munawar Hassan of Jamat Islami, Maulana Fazl Rehman of JUI and Imran Khan of Pakistan Tahrik-e-Insaf who always supported the Taliban. These pro-Taliban politicians have never uttered a word to condemn their terrorism but this time social media pressure forces them to condemn this ugly act of terrorism.  

Everyone is sad. I have a special intimacy with her because I closely remained in her company on two occasions early this year in Karachi. When Malala came to Karachi to attend a morning show on a TV channel after she received the award from the Prime Minister following her nomination for an international award, she and her father stayed in our office’s hostel. Although they were guests of the TV channel, she and her father had accepted our hospitality to stay in our hostel. During their stay, we arranged a special get-together with her on January 4, 2012, in the office. Many of our colleagues did not know much about her, but some including me knew that she had written diaries for BBC Urdu during the reign of terrorism unleashed by the Taliban in the entire Swat Valley. She got fame suddenly through the media when an international children's advocacy group KidsRights Foundation nominated her for the International Children's Peace Prize, making her the first Pakistani girl nominated for the award for her courageous writings. At our request, she read out a page of the published diary on the occasion. We asked a lot of questions about her life, the situation in Swat during and after the Taliban and of course about her school, which is being run by her father for the girls and she was still a student there. After the function, each one of us wanted to have pictures with her.

Again she came the next month when the Sindh government announced a cash award for her and named a government school in Karachi after her name. She was in Karachi to unveil the plaque of her school, which is located at Burns Road. This time our Executive Director Karamat Ali asked us to arrange a talk on Malala for the kids of the flood-affected families, who are living in the Labour Square complex near our office.

It was Sunday, February 5, 2012, when about 100 students and their teachers gathered at PILER Centre to listen to Malala. Those flood-affected children, most of them studying in the primary school of the labour square camp, were informed about Malala’s achievement and her courage. But when she gave a motivating speech to the students, many of them might have not understood the Urdu language, but everyone was clapping when she finished her very impressive talk. The 14-year Malala advised the students to acquire education at all costs irrespective of any difficult times. She also asked them to be courageous to ask for their rights. She suggested the students to have a dream for a better life. “This dream should be alive all the time in your head and you should struggle for the fulfilment of that dream.” She asked the downtrodden students to respect their elders and teachers, help others and inculcate good moral habits in them to be good citizens. Malala said she was happy to learn that such a large number of children from flood-affected areas of Sindh are getting a proper education in such difficult conditions. She announced giving Rs. 10,000 to the school.

Later, the children asked questions from Malala, which she answered in a very simple but poised way. During her talk, I was wondering why she was such a confident girl who had witnessed terror and murders in her area, but despite all the atrocities she was very clear in her views and thoughts and her desire for peace was so profound that she has become a messenger for the peace. In all her boldness there was certainly a lot of contribution from her father Ziaur Rehman Yousufzai who remained steadfast behind her. He is the advocate of girls' education in Swat valley, which was the main target of terrorism by the Taliban who had destroyed almost all the state schools in the valley.

I cannot forget the way she was speaking with confidence about peace and her ambition to join politics after completing her education. When one asked if she was afraid of the Taliban, she said as a child she was certainly afraid of them, but she knew they were enemies of humankind and girls' education. They had bombarded the schools and they were threatening those who were sending their girls to schools. She wanted to work for the workers of Swat and she expressed her desire to start an NGO for the rights of women.  

I know it is very difficult to produce girls like Malala with such rare qualities. She is a hope for the nation, which is passing through a difficult time. I salute her and her father Ziaur Rehman, who gave her such confidence and clarity of her purpose and also encouraged her to become a good citizen. I don’t have more words for the little angel and I pray to Almighty Allah to give her life so the spark of hope can become a full-fledged light.