HYDERABAD, Jan 13: The Bhandar Hari Sangat held a seminar on “Problems facing Sindh’s agriculture and bonded labour” at the press club here on Monday evening.

Speaking on the occasion, president of the Sindh Hari Committee, Mr Azhar Jatoi, said Sindh’s agriculture was in ruins and the government had not taken any step to preserve and sustain it.

He said the sugarcane price in Sindh was lower than Punjab.

He said that education and health facilities were not available to children of haris.

Mr Jatoi demanded that the government should establish hari courts for deciding cases related to haris.

Ibrahim Joyo said that joint struggle would have to be launched against absentee landlords and bonded labour.

He said the government was not interested in resolving problems of hari community.

Nasreen Shakeel Pathan of HRCP and Saran Unnar also spoke on the occasion.

Dr Khalil Qazi said Sindh’s arable land was being rendered barren due to water logging and salinity. He termed shortage of water in Sindh as a conspiracy of Punjab against Sindh.

He said that haris of Sindh were facing a lot of problems which included absence of health, education and other basic facilities.

He demanded that the government should provide homes to haris.

MPA Zahid Bhurgari said resolution of agricultural problems was impossible without overthrowing present government.

He said the People’s Party would highlight problems of haris at all fora.

Ms Naseem said establishment of separate hari courts for deciding cases of haris would not solve problems of haris because justice was being denied in law courts.

Ahsan Azeem Siddiqui said abolition of bonded labour was not possible without unity among haris.

Mannu Bheel said that police and local administration knew where his family members were but they were reluctant to recover them.

He said the government should be ashamed of such an attitude.

MQM MNA Prof Khalid Wahab said that problems of haris could not be resolved without abolition of feudalism.

He said the problem of bonded labour in India was not as serious as in Pakistan because after independence, feudalism in India had been abolished.

Jam Saqi said that small provinces would have to launch a joint struggle for attaining their provincial rights.

He said the rulers were trying to create disharmony among provinces.

He said that bonded labour was another form of slavery.