ALMAS Nohrio of Bhorilo village, Mithi, Tharparkar, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison by an anti-terrorism court. Almas doesn’t even know the name and configurations of the weapons. His ‘acts of terrorism’ include his inflexible stand on protecting his land against a project which would drastically alter the demography of his hometown and turn it into a barren chemically-poisoned territory.

A pipeline that was part of that very project was affecting the land. Some of the families in the village were threatened when they refused to give their land without agreement and payment. The contractor lodged an FIR against Almas and his two cousins, accusing them of burning pipes.

The day on which the FIR was lodged, Almas was in Hyderabad attending Hyderabad Literature Festival-1. The case was clear and simple, and everyone expected the court would release him sooner than later. However, some law-mogul advocates, with high costs, steered the case into the wrong direction, miles away from the truth obviously supported by influentials.

The case appears to be politically motivated because Almas was consistently engaged with Thar Sujag Sath against the Gorano reservoir. It was motivated in such a way that it would be a warning for other active members of the community: withdraw or face prison. Thus, he and his cousins became the first Gorano detainees. They grabbed their land and awarded them prison.

I request our like-minded friends to help free a poet and political friend. When our national media and enlightened friends from all around the country can protest for the release of bloggers, why not raise our voices against this injustice?

Mehran Memon
Hyderabad

Published in Dawn, July 12th, 2017