Sindh Guardian VOLUME 4 - ISSUE 1
The Sindhi American Political Action Committee
June 2016
sindhipac.org
Lashkar-e-Taiba: Religious Extremism in Sindh Social Injustice in the Province of Sindh Ferzana Majeed’s Story Sindh’s Education Crisis Repercussions of the Tragedy of Thar Months Later
Table of Contents Lashkar-e-Taiba: Religious Extremism in Sindh
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Social Injustice in the Province of Sindh
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Ferzana Majeed’s Story
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Sindh’s Education Crisis
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Repercussions of the Tragedy of Thar Months Later
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SAPAC Sindhi American Political Action Committee 1050 17th Street NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20036 sapac.sindh@gmail.com www.sindhipac.org
Lashkar-e-Taiba: Religious Extremism in Sindh By: Isaac Joseph There is an ever-present and rapidly increasing atmosphere of sectarianism and religiously motivated violence and extremism in Pakistan’s province of Sindh. Sindh is Pakistan’s second largest province, after Punjab, and is home to the majority of its religious minorities, including Hindus and Christians. These religious minorities are often the subject of violence, carried out by armed Islamic extremist groups. Even Sindh’s Muslims are targets for religious extremist groups who practice the Deobandi brand of Islam, which is far more conservative than Sindh’s Sufi culture. Deobandi has all but become indistinguishable from the Wahhabist teachings of its Arab counterpart ideology. Because of this increasing violence, especially in dense urban areas such as the port city of Karachi, many of Sindh’s Hindus have been seeking refuge in India. The persecution and subsequent influx of refugees into India have put a strain on the already-tense relations between Delhi and Islamabad. The exodus of Hindus from Sindh also spells trouble for the province economically. Hindus comprise much of Sindh’s middle class, so with them goes much of Sindh’s wealth and innovation. One of the most prominent of these groups that operate in this region is Lashkar-e-Taiba, which means Army of the Pure. Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) has been declared a terrorist organization by both the United Nations and the United States and has been banned by the Pakistani government. However, despite this ban, LeT manages to develop sister organizations and charity wings which the government turns a blind eye to and allows them to continue to operate in Sindh and throughout Pakistan. Like many religious extremist groups in the Middle East and South Asia, Lashkar-e-Taiba’s beginnings can be traced back to the Jihad against the USSR in Afghanistan in the 1980’s.The movement was founded by Hafiz Saeed in 1989 and received funding and support from the Taliban and Pakistani Inter-services Intelligence (ISI) primarily to target Hindus in Kashmir and Sindh. Although the Pakistani government denies
the allegations of its relationship with Lashkar-e-Taiba, the nature of this relationship allows the Pakistani government to get rid of political undesirables such as religious minorities in Sindh and Indian-administered Kashmir without claiming any direct responsibility for the violence. One of the biggest problems when it comes to combating these groups is their charity wings. Lashkar-e-Taiba’s charity wing, Jamaat-ud-Dawah, provides social services to people in need in Sindh and throughout Pakistan. However, most of the funds that it raises through donations go to its sister organization LeT. The charitable work it does also comes with conditions such as enrollment in madrassas, which are
seminaries that teach their extreme Deobandi Islamic ideology. The reason this has become a problem is because the charity wings of these militant groups are the only ones that provide necessary social services to Pakistanis. In instances where private organizations can do the government’s job better than it can, the government loses its authority. Such is the story of Sindh province. Recently, after a large earthquake in Pakistan in October, Jamaat-ud-Dawah was notably the only organization doing any relief work in many of the provinces of Pakistan including Sindh. The clear absence of international aid organizations or the Pakistani government encourages the spread of religious extremism into society as disaster afflicted people rely heavily on such groups for social services. This trend can be seen specifically in the province of Sindh, especially
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after the floods there in 2010 and 2011 which Jamaatud-Dawah was quick to jump on as an opportunity to expand its operations in the province. Consequently, this increase in the presence of groups such as Jamaat-ud-Dawah has coincided with an increase in the number of madrassas in the province of Sindh. It is estimated that more than 12,000 madrassas are in Sindh province, about 2,000 of which are considered extremist and dangerous. Much of the funding for these schools comes from rich Gulf sheikhs and the money raised by the charity wings. The highest concentration of these madrassas is in Karachi’s central district, which alone houses 813. Karachi’s central district is one of the most violent areas of the city in terms of sectarian violence. Many of the more extreme madrassas are used to recruit and train young students to join their extremist organizations. Unfortunately, many of these young Sindhis have very little other opportunities in the way of education. An effective way to resolve this issue and cut back on the presence of religious extremism in the province is to increase foreign aid. Holding the Pakistani government responsible for how they spend US aid as well as increasing the presence of international aid and relief organizations would not only provide the people of Sindh with necessary humanitarian aid but would also give them a better option than having to relying on extremist organizations. Sindhi youth are under increasing risk of being targeted by groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba for either recruitment or violence. Without the proper management of aid funds, these young Sindhis will not have access to education or jobs. The economic and educational development of this region, coupled with the increased presence of responsible foreign aid will help to eliminate the presence of religious extremist groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba.
Social Injustice in the Province of Sindh By: Keisha Reynolds The battle rages on in the province of Sindh. Many Sindhi-Americans fear for their families back home, and rightfully so. Sindh has been promised complete autonomy of their state through the 1947 Lahore resolution. The sad reality is the Lahore resolution has not been held up. Many Sindhi’s are forced to flee for their lives leaving behind the place that they formally knew as home. Much of what the Province of Sindh has valued for centuries like their language and their way of life have been compromised and threatened leaving nothing but fear, tears and hopelessness. Faced with religious extremism, many young girls are abducting on a daily basis never to see their families again. Granging between the ages of twelve and seventeen are forced to convert to Islam and forced to marry Muslim men. Sindh is ranked one of the lowest in education because many families are afraid to send their daughters to school in fear of a possible abduction. Although the people of Sindh do not believe in fighting they have many social activists who fight by speaking out on behalf of their people and behalf of what they know to be home. Unfortunately, there is a very high price that comes with the social activist who cannot sit by idle, who choose to voice their concerns, who choose to rally their people in hopes that someone will listen to their cries for help. Many speak out aware of the dangers that await them. Social activist are abducted and tortured over their boldness to speak out, many social activist go missing and then there bodies show up later on the streets. Most recently Jiya Sindh Tehreek Chairman Shafi Karnani died in a target killing. News Pakistan.net reports that Karnani was going back home when two target killers opened fire near the area of Makli bypass. Shot five times Shafi succumbed to his injuries. There are many cases like this every day which go unreported. Many families have no one to turn to, this is why the battle continues to rage on even today.
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Ferzana Majeed’s Story By: Amoli Vaidya & Keisha Reynolds Brief Background Farzana Majeed Baloch is a 31-year-old immigrant from Baluchistan (Conflicted Province of Pakistan), prominent human rights activist and general secretary of Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP) fearing for her safety has come to the U.S. She has a Master’s in Biochemistry from University of Baluchistan. She is the daughter of a well-known political activist, human rights defender, and promoter of education amongst Baluch people. He was assassinated in 1995 by corrupted Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) officials. Her brother Zakir Majeed Baloch, a student leader was kidnapped on June 8, 2009 by ISI Pakistan in front of his two friends. Since the kidnapping, she has protested for his release, and 18,000 other Balochi who are missing for their safe recovery.
What is her story? “From 2009, I have been protesting to end human rights violations and disappearances in Baluchistan by ISI Pakistan paramilitary forces. Three thousand bodies were recovered of people who were tortured and killed in ISI detention centers which is against international human right laws. We need democracy and peace in Baluchistan but Pakistani establishment is not democratic and not ready to listen to us nor are they releasing our loved ones. It is true that people of Baluchistan are struggling for the independence of Baluchistan. This is not the way for any society to behave by punishing people by taking matters into their own hands. If they are anti
state, they should be brought to justice in open court. ISI Pakistan has canceled our talks at Lahore University Management Science (LUMS) on April 4, 2015 where we were going to talk about un-silencing Baluchistan. The seminar, titled ‘Un-silencing Baluchistan (Take 2)’, was held at the T2F cafe and focused on Baluchistan. Among the guest speakers was the Baloch activist Mama Qadeer and I. My demands are to bring my brother and other abducted Baluchi’s to court to give justice and not hold them for over 7 years. To gain justice I have gone to the high court of Baluchistan and the Supreme Court for hearings. Instead of justice, they tried to stop me from raising my voice and said “be quiet!” and threatened my life. How can I be quiet when my brother is missing and my fellow brothers and sisters of Baluchistan are missing as well? Although this was very dangerous and my life was threatened, I went to Islamabad, I stood up and I spoke. We held a hunger strike from 2009- 2015 with other victim’s families periodically. From Oct 2013 March 2014, I walked 2000 kilometers (1243 miles) from Quetta to Karachi to UN headquarters in Islamabad with other victims of missing persons. On March 4, 2015 I came to New York Headquarters of UN to raise our voices against human rights violations against Sindhi and Baloch people. Pakistani representatives stopped us and put our names on the Exit Control List (ECL) of Pakistan airports to hinder travel. I am in the USA for security purposes, but I continue to struggle for my rights and to be a human rights activist for my brother and the people of Baluchistan. My advice to any person who is in a similar struggle is to continue your fight for your people’s rights, and don’t give up.”
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Sindh’s Education Crisis By: Jessi Dusenberry Education continues to be a serious problem in Sindh. One quarter of school aged children in Pakistan are in Sindh, and about a quarter of those children aren’t attending school for various reasons. This is a social crisis for the country, as uneducated students will not grow up to be able to contribute productively to the work force. Sindh’s already weakened economy will only get worse with this lack of education. One of the biggest issues in Sindh’s education system is simply the structuring of schools. Most Sindh public schools do not have functional washrooms or toilets. 26.5% of schools function as a single classroom, yet in the entire country as a whole, only 16% of classrooms function this way. The district of Karachi is the only district in the province where 50% of schools have a toilet, water, electricity, and boundary walls. Most other districts have less than 40% of schools with these basic facilities. A much larger portion of funding being received for education, needs to be used to restructure schools so that students have their most basic needs met. Another huge issue in the Sindh education system is the lack of access to higher education. 91% of schools in Sindh are primary schools. This increases the dropout rate of children, because they have no way to further their education. This is where private companies take advantage. Education becomes privatized, and the fees these schools demand is well beyond what most Sindhi children can afford. There is a severe lack of funding for impoverished children who cannot afford to go to school. The cost of school itself is difficult to fund, but they also have to worry about textbooks and examinations which demand fees. Part of the budget for education should be used for the creation of higher education, such as high schools, colleges, and trade schools. Lastly, even if a child can attend school, they’re not being taught well.Teachers get paid in Sindh whether or not they show up to work. There is no check system to make sure the teachers are performing at appropriate standards. Most of the schools in Sindh
are considered ghost schools, because the teachers don’t show up, but still get their paychecks from the government. A large sum of the educational budget is spent on paying teachers, while only 20% of the budget is allocated for developing schools. There needs to be a uniform curriculum, with a check system to ensure that teachers are showing up and teaching the proper lessons. Sindh also needs to depoliticize the process of hiring teachers, that way only qualified people are given the position. Making these improvements to public schools will help low income students who cannot afford private schooling.The best way to ensure that funding is being used the right way is to have the countries providing aid for educational needs in Sindh, set provisions on exactly what every dollar of funding is to be used for. There also needs to be a check system to ensure that the provisions are being adhered to. With such changes to the education system in Sindh, literacy and attendance rates are guaranteed to flourish.
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Repercussions from the Tragedy of Thar Months Later By: Brigitte Burrell Water – a basic necessity that every human being needs to survive was deprived from the people of Thar in beginning of 2016. However, it was not only a shortage of potable water, it was also, “the insufficiency of access to basic medical facilities that can cater to the needs of a population that is already burdened by poverty.”1 With all of these factors going against the people of Thar, over 250 children died from malnutrition and disease. Dr. Sono Khangharani discusses, “Malnutrition happens due to three factors: over population, less animal produce, and vanishing of greens from people’s diets.”2 This area of Sindh is not being given access to basic human rights, which is one of the major factors that have made this tragedy such a tragedy. The media was surrounding Thar and showing this tragedy. However, even with the immense amount of news coverage, the Pakistani government did not seem too bothered with this tragedy. Fast forward to April and now Pakistan’s National Commission for Human Rights Justice has held the Sindh regional government responsible for this horrible tragedy. It is said that, “the commission took suo moto notice of recurring deaths of children in Thar in December last and conducted a five-day visit from March 8 to 13.”3 They have claimed that they provided the Sindh government with instructions on how to fix the situation by, “ask[ing] the provincial government for appointment of dedicated medical staff, substitution of the present unconcerned District Health Officer and
financial audit of funds allocated for education,”3 and other actions so that they could stop the tragedy before it became any worse. This tragedy is something that was not random and out of nowhere; it progressed over months and years of many different actions.These actions included funding local administrations who are, ultimately, not doing their job, hiring medical staff that were not dedicated, an uninvolved District Health Officer, and more. The Sindh government is continually dealt with resources and funds that are inadequate. A tragedy occurred because of years and years of being dealt the short stack. However, there is still no justice. Instead the Sindh government was put to blame because of what they were dealt and nothing has been fixed yet.
“Tragedy in Thar,” Dawn News, March 12, 2016, accessed June 13, 2016, http://www.dawn.com/news/1245100. “Beyond Hunger: The Tragedy of Thar,” Dawn News, January 18, 2016, accessed June 13, 2016, http://www.dawn.com/news/1157394. 3 “Sindh: Human Rights Commission Report Blames Government for Humanitarian Situation,” Unrepresented Nations and People Organization, April 15, 2016, accessed June 13, 2016, http://unpo.org/article/19092. 1 2
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Sufism is neither a religion, nor is it a doctrine, a myth, a cult, or a dogma. Sufism can neither be taught, nor can it be explained in concrete terms. Like fragrance Sufism is felt. Like soothing Ragas it is spiritually experienced. It surrounds. It overwhelms. It encompasses you in serenity. Sufism touches inner cords of your existence. It provides unexplained vistas hitherto denied to the vision. It ultimately liberates man to embark upon his search for Ultimate Truth. - Amar Jaleel To Define Sufism