September 01, 2008	Monday	Sha'aban 29, 1429

HYDERABAD, Aug 31: A resolution adopted at a seminar urged the government on Sunday to make amendments to the Sindh Tenancy Act and set up peasant courts to hear cases of bonded labourers.

The seminar, which adopted a number of resolutions, was organised by the Centre for People’s Empowerment and Equality (CPEE) to mark 10th death anniversary of HRCP’s Special Task Force coordinator Shakeel Ahmed Pathan.

A resolution urged the federal and provincial governments to ensure early recovery of nine family members of Mannu Bheel, who were kidnapped a decade ago and sought release of thousands of bonded peasants.

Another suggested extending soft loans to the liberated peasants to help them rehabilitate and called for consultation with civil society organisations for judicious distribution of land under supervision of a high level committee.

A resolution demanded restoration of judiciary to Nov 2 position, release of Dr Aafia Siddiqui, withdrawal of cases against peasants and Mannu Bheel, naming of a road after late Pathan and his nomination for presidential award.

Jamaat-i-Islami leader Maulana Asadullah Bhutto who was one of the speakers called for coordinated efforts to eliminate bonded labour and said that late Pathan was larger than life as he worked for everyone irrespective of class or creed.

He said that delay in reinstatement of Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry had dashed Mannu Bheel’s hopes for recovery of his kidnapped family members. Restoration of judiciary to Nov 2 position without chief justice would be meaningless, he argued.

He regretted that the government had forgot May 12 and April 9 incidents and lashed out at western NGOs for not raising voice against illegal detention of Dr Aafia and tragic incidents like Lal Masjid.

Prof. Badar Soomro said that most of the land the government had announced it would give to peasants was infertile. Issues of bonded labourers needed to be published on a regular basis, he urged.

Shakeel Pathan had an uncanny insight into the issues of people of Sindh, he said and appreciated formation of CPEE. No one should be dependent on one organisation alone, he added.