INJUSTICE / DISCRIMINATION AGAINST SCHEDULED CASTES OF PAKISTAN

To – Honourable Chief Justice, Supreme Court of Pakistan, Islamabad.

by Kalavanti Raja Menghwar, Khairpur Mirs

First of all, for current performance of Judiciary I can shortly say “BRAVO, WELL DONE AND CONGRATULATIONS”. Now, some facts about the subject are hereby stated for sympathetic consideration and order.

The castes doing laborious jobs were considered as the outcasts as per Hindu Caste System in Sub Continent for thousand years and remained deprived of social, educational and economic growth. And during 20th century reformers sympathetically named all depressed castes as Harijans, Dalits, Adivasis, Achhoots etc.

With the political support of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar and Maharaja of Kolhapur depressed classes had accorded special incentive status under Govt. of India Act-1935 in British Raj and brought a term “Schedule Castes” into use. Subsequently, it remained enforced in India and Pakistan after partition. In Pakistan the cause of Scheduled castes was in principle protected by “Scheduled castes ordinance 1956” under the constitution of 1956 and list containing 40 castes was given following main incentives.

•Reservation of 6% quota in jobs.

•Relaxation of 3 years in age for jobs.

However, above incentives were neither properly observed nor extended but canceled by 1990. Here one can feel the gravity of injustice that when; before 1980s, people were not educated, they had reserved seats and now they got educated, reserved seats canceled!!!

Religio-Caste based discrimination is in continuity in civil, cultural, religious, education, employment, political and economical spheres in several forms especially untouchablity and inequality made survival very difficult. Where the women face more violence every day including physical assault, verbal abuse, sexual harassment, rape, parading naked, kidnapping, abduction, forced incarceration, medical negligence, forced religion conversion.

The government has an obligation under the international human rights law to act with due diligence to prevent and investigate to ensure the comprehensive eradication of caste and gender discrimination and violence against scheduled castes and undertake special measures for social, educational, political and economical development of these marginalized groups.

Presently scheduled Castes are included in Hindus under the term “Minorities”. In this system upper caste businessman Hindus occupy all seats to enhance their business and number of wine shops by purchasing tickets from political parties and more than one million of Scheduled castes remain excluded from legislature and subsequently by all rights. Therefore it is the matter of grave concerned for the political intellectuals and reformers to make every effort to accord the laws to uplift the peaceful and hard working class of original natives of the soil by restoring Schedule Castes Ordinance and special incentives as we demand below:

•Reservation of seats in all government jobs

•Reservation of seats in armed forces and judiciary.

•Reservation of seats in banks and financial institutions

•Reservation of seats in all levels of legislature i.e. Senate, National and Provincial Assembly.

•Reservation of seats in all levels of legislature for Scheduled Castes women.

•Reservation of seats in all levels of Government as well as private higher education institutions.

•Reservation of seats in all levels of scholar ships for higher education.

•Distribution of agriculture land, bank loans

•Construction of housing schemes and ownership of colonies where they are living.

•Distribution of Presidential, National or other awards

I hope this will receive your goodwill to take appropriate action in favour of Scheduled Castes of Pakistan aiming to reduce injustices against indigenous people of Indus Valley Civilization by empowering them.

4th Time Request

December 06, 2010

(Kalavanti Raja Menghwar)

(The 1st women Post Graduate among Scheduled Castes)

Address:Saint Nagar, Pipri Road, Gambat District Khairpur Mirs

Email: kalavanti.raja@gmail.com

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