Although the 21st century has been a time of enlightenment and moderation, where the rule of law and democracy is heeded and upheld in many parts of the world, the situation in Pakistan, and particularly in the province of Sindh, is deplorable. In the district of Ghotki, Sindh province, the menaces of feudalism, tribalism and illiteracy make for a particularly difficult situation. Indeed, one of the most pressing problems in this district is that of conflicts between different tribes and their petty tribal feuds, which take the lives of many people, particularly women and children, every year.
Causes of the tribal feuds: The causes of Ghotki’s tribal conflicts are manifold, but five main reasons can be ascertained. Firstly, there is the scourge of feudalism, which should have been eradicated during Pakistan’s inception, but has remained due to the indifference of those in power. The way feudalism works, is that in order to strengthen their stronghold over the masses, feudal lords involve civilians in their false and fabricated conflicts. Secondly, illiteracy runs rampant in Ghotki district. This maintains the people as slaves of their landlords. Thirdly, a lack of will on the part of the administration to implement a stringent rule of law is a major factor that fuels tribal conflicts. The administration, particularly the police, instead of playing a proactive, impartial and legal role to ensure the implementation of law and order, has become a tool in the hands of landed aristocracy to suppress the peasantry. Currently, influential peoples, even those who are listed in the First Investigation Report (FIR), often go unpunished for their crimes. The feudal lords use their political and tribal power to gain impunity and use bribery to deal with the police. Other factors include the unprecedented level of unemployment, which encourages youths to commit crime. Cases of ‘karo-kari’, honour killings, (despite their falsity) often serve to galvanize conflicts.
A vibrant civil society whose members could generate awareness, encourage enlightenment and work to resolve violent disputes, does not exist; thus, lawyers, professionals and academics are unable to constructively tackle these societal issues. The combination of the aforementioned causes has thrown the district of Ghotki into a maze of tribal conflicts.
Impact: Tribal conflicts have enhanced the impact of poverty, bolstered unemployment and generated ignorance among the educated sectors of society. These tribal conflicts have given government agencies and officials further impetus to ignore their obligations to the people in terms of safety and security. Economic activities cease, the agricultural sector halts and businesses close down. The use of school grounds and buildings by tribal leaders mean that schools in this district are particularly unsafe. This has provided justification for teachers to abstain from their educational duties and instead involve themselves in other jobs, and thus, the future of the next generation is jeopardized. Even the police have been known to avoid certain areas for fear of getting caught in tribal conflicts.
The following tribes are continuously involved in violent clashes
1.) Lund between Bozdar, 2.) Bozdar between Gadani, 3.) Gadani between Malik,
4.) Pitafi between Mahar, 5.) Meerani between Kalhora, 6.) Shar between Bhutta,
7.) Kosh between Solangi, 8.) Lolai between Arbani, 9.) Jagrani between Chachar,
10.) Pitafi between Leghari.
This human tragedy has claimed the lives of more than one hundred women, men and children over the last eight months. This human massacre committed under the garb of feudal and tribal conflicts must be stopped immediately.
Under the above circumstances, the former district police officer (DPO) Ghotki, Mr. Javed Ahmed Jiskani moved to take stricter legal action against these leaders, and told SHO’s (Police Station Head Officers) that whenever tribal conflict starts, FIRs must be registered against the tribal leaders in question. So when the dispute between the Lund and Bozdar tribes began, and four people were brutally murdered, the tribal leaders – Rahim Bux Khan Bozdar who is an member of Sindh Provincial Assembly and Fayaz Ali Khan Lund who is the leader of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party-were registered for the first time in Ghotki’s history. After this action, the feudal lords decided to take a united stand against the polices actions against them. An urgent meeting was called of all the local waderas (tribal leaders) in which they unanimously agreed that the former-DPO Ghotki should be transferred from the area. They then used their political influences within the provincial government to have the former DPO, Mr. Javed Jiskani, removed. It has become a sad tradition in this society that a police officer who upholds a legal and moral code often will not last in his position.
Remedies: To address this problem, civil society and the state must act on the following remedies to root out tribal disputes. First and foremost, the government must take strident measures stop the violent conflicts of tribal disputes. They must take strong actions against the warlords who call for the murder of civilians, including women and children, in the name of honor. Secondly, the state must immediately ensure the education of the masses. An education will equip the people with an awareness of their fundamental rights, as well as tolerance for their fellow people, and an understanding of humanitarian affairs. Thirdly, the strict implementation of the rule of law is imperative in addressing this problem. Practically speaking, for example, more than one hundred FIRs have been registered concerning tribal conflict, but no arrests have been made, and no one has been brought before a court of law. All the waderas (feudal lords) involved in tribal feuds who are nominated in FIRs must be arrested and punished, which in itself will decrease the level of tribal disputes in Ghotki. Finally, Ghotki’s youth should be given quality technical and moral education. Since even though Ghotki is replete with natural resources and a flourishing agricultural sector, there is a high level of unemployment, and the majority of its people live in poverty.
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