Friday, June 1, 2012

Poor Christian Labor Family Lives Threatened for Demanding Fare Wages in Pakistan


Background: Pakistan has 180 million people. Christians are 1.5 percent of the total population. The country got its independence from British rule 64 years back. The Christian leaders were promised during freedom movement that they shall be provided equal opportunities of shelter, food , job and other social development.  Christians were assured by its founder that they will be free to practice their faith. However, the founder did not live for long after independence, and the rulers after him took initiatives that led series of persecution with Christians. Rulers made big statements to get favor of Christians but never took practical steps to change the plight of the Christians in Pakistan rather in the name of Islamization; Christians were neglected in every sphere of live.

Various forms of laws were introduced which were used by the Islamic fundamentalists to kill the innocent Christians to occupy their land or settle personal grudge. School Curriculum was made in a way which promoted stereotypes about Christians, like Christians are untouchables, weak and inferior to Muslims etc. The biased approach has been developed over the decades which have made poor Christian vulnerable. Christians are deprived of their basic rights.

The following story of a poor Christian labor of brick kiln shall give you an idea how hard Christian labors are living in Pakistan. Education, healthcare, shelter or recreation is a dream for these poor Christian labors that live under extreme oppression.

This afternoon, Khalida Parveen 48, a poor brick kiln worker visited me and told her story and asked me to help her to get justice.
She said, “I am Khalida Parveen a mother of eight children, seven daughters and one boy. My husband Akram Masih is 52 and a patient of Tuberculosis and Asthma.  We are living in Village Number 328 J.B, District, Toba Tek Singh, Punjab, Pakistan. Mian Muhammad Sabir and Chaudhry Saeed Jaat a brick kiln factory owner of Village # 478 G.B, Sumandri, District Faisalabad, offered my husband to work at their brick kiln factory in 2009.   They promised to pay fare wages and a house for the family. My whole family worked on a brick making unit.  We worked whole day from dawn to dusk and succeed to make one thousand brick daily. We were paid Rupees two hundred and fifty for per thousand bricks” (One US $ is equal to Pakistani Rupees 90. US 2.7 $s were paid for one thousand bricks.

Khalida kept on saying, “We demanded the owner to pay the government notified wages which is Rupees 518 (US 5.75 for per thousand bricks). Every time, the owner asked your money is saved with us and you will be paid at the end of the year. You manage with Rupees two hundred and fifty”
Khalida told me, “She was very much concerned for not been paid the fixed wages and it was very hard to manage two times meal for the family. I wanted the full wages as I wanted to send my children to school. Whenever, I spoke to my husband to speak to the owner, he stopped me, saying, the owner is very powerful and influential. He asked me to remain silent as we might lose our work”

Akram Masih, husband of Khalida told me, “During three years inflation has increased hundred percent. Milk, sugar, wheat, grains, vegetables and utility bills have been redoubled; however, our wages remained the same. No changes were made in it. We were never paid the government notified wages. Medication and education was a like a dream for us. We remained starved for not been able to eat at least for twice. My children and wife become sick for acute shortage of food. It was almost become difficult to survive with the wages we were paid. So we decided to speak strongly against this injustice”

Akram Masih told, “My wife and I was shocked to hear when the owner told me, you owe me Rupees 125000 (US 1388.88 $S).  He threatened if you will not pay the money, we cannot move anywhere and if we kept on demanding government notified wages, we shall be put behind the bars.  We told the owners none of us (neither my wife nor I owed the money). He replied, if we will demand fare wages, he will file a false against us and will bribe the police to put us behind the bars and teach a lesson”

Khalida told. “Upon hearing this news, our whole family get worried and decided to escape. We shared this story with one of our relative who is living in Village 328 J.B. Toba Tek Sing who suggested us to somehow manage to get out from the factory and they will provide us shelter. We managed to escape however, our clothes, furniture, crockery and other things are in the house we were provided by the owners”

Khalida told, “two days back, Mian Muhammad Sabir and his partner Saeed Jaat sent his armed men to the place where we are living in Village 328 J.B, Toba Tek Singh to kidnap our family on gun point to take back on their brick making factory. However, due to hue and cry of the local people, we were saved and kidnappers ran out from the village”

Khalida told me with tears, “Since we have been saved from the kidnappers, our relatives with whom we are living have asked us to vacate their house. They said, the kidnappers may come again and their family members can also be targeted. So they are terrified for this situation. They said, they cannot face the enmity of the powerful people like Mian Muhammad Sabir and Saeed Jaat, the owners”

Khalida told me, a human rights activist told us about you (me, Rafia Salomi) to speak to her about urgent shelter and get justice”
I have urgently shifted the family to my native house which was not in use. It is quite a safe place. Two young volunteers are there to protect them and in case of any uncertainty they will report to me and the police.

I have prepared an appeal to police and Chief Justice of Supreme Court of Pakistan to take Sue Motto action against the culprits. The labor department has also been requested to take action against the factory owners who have been violated the rights of poor Christian labors.

Urgent Appeal from US brothers and sisters,

US brothers and sisters are requested to help through the following,
·         Please pray for the family and human rights activist
·         A lawyer’s fee is required to file a case to pay the notified wages and return the equipment of the family.
·         Ration & clothing has to be provided to the family and the husband needs medication.
·         Five Children has to get admitted in Christian hostels to get education
Your sister in Christ,
Rafia Salomi,
Pakistan

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