LAHORE: A fact-finding mission of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) to southern Punjab has found that women in the tribal areas are still subjected to karo-kari and vani while law enforcement agencies have failed to provide them any protection.

HRCP has concluded a high-profile fact-finding mission to southern Punjab, comprising chairperson Hina Jilani, vice-chair Pun­jab Raja Ashraf, council member Nazir Ahmed, and regional coordinator Faisal Tangwani.

The team has noted that women in the tribal areas of Dera Ghazi Khan and Rajanpur remain subjected to harmful customary practices, with karo-kari and vani still entrenched in the fabric of their society — to the extent that even the Border Military Police does not provide the protection that victims are entitled to.

Moreover, many women are denied the right to citizenship documents by male members of their families and, as a result, have no political voice.

HRCP sees common use of blasphemy laws to intimidate Hindu, Christian families for land grabbing

Of particular concern is the situation of religious minorities in the province: the blasphemy laws are commonly used to intimidate Hindu and Christian families for purposes of land grabbing. Forced conversions remain common: in one case brought to the team’s attention, a landlord forcibly married the daughter of a Hindu tenant.

HRCP was alarmed to learn that the district vigilance committees that were set up to monitor and report the use of bonded labour remain non-functional. The restoration of the peshgi system by the Punjab government, amending the Punjab Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1992, is deplorable and must be rolled back immediately.

It is also of grave concern that, according to the bonded labourers HRCP spoke to, they receive a daily wage of Rs800 while the minimum wage is Rs1,300. Additionally, in the power loom industry, workers allege that they are compelled to work 16-hour a day and have no recourse to social security or compensation in case of accidental death or injury.

A serious allegation made by residents of Cholistan is that their applications for allotment of the land they have been settled on for centuries remain pending, with reports that the military have taken over large areas of this land. In addition, the severe scarcity of water and lack of schools for residents need to be addressed.

The team has also noted that lady health workers have continued to struggle without adequate security during their work, often putting their lives at risk in the line of duty and with negligible benefits to compensate them.

Published in Dawn, March 9th, 2022