Fact-Finding Report

Case of peasant worker Ghulam Ali, who has been forcefully put out of his
agriculture farm
The following human rights activists and media persons from Hyderabad and
Karachi visited Deh A-40 in Sinjhoro Taluka of Sanghar district on January 26, 2015:
1. Punhal Sariyo, Sindh Hari Porhiat Council
2. Dr. Asho Thama, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan
3. Sohail Siddiqui, Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF)
4. Azad Mirwahi, Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF)
5. Shujauddin Qureshi, Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research
6. Younis Mari, Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research
7. Nobahar Ali Wassan, Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research
8. Ishaq Mangrio, daily Sindh Express
9. Mahesh Kumar, daily Sindh
10.Jan Khaskheli, daily The News
11.Jafar Memon, Radio Voice of Sindh
Background
Peasant Ghulam Ali Leghari joined the agriculture farm near Jafar Khan leghari,
Taluka Sinjhoro, Sanghar District as a sharecropper about 32-year back while he was
quite young. The working atmosphere was inspiring, so he built a shelter to live with
family on a piece of land, which was actually demarcated for graveyard. Presently,
he lives at the same place along with 22-member larger family, including his eight
sons, three of whom are married and with children, working together on the same
land.
He narrated the situation that he has observed that the landlord was reluctant to
give his share from the crop and most of time depriving him of his due right. The
landlord died, so his three sons Mumtaz, Javed and Ejaz are now legal heirs of the
property. The sons wanted him to leave the tenancy and the village. They also
refused to settle his accounts. Leghari got the support of some civil society
especially the labour rights organizations like Pakistan Institute of Labour Education
and Research (PILER) and Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum. PILER provided his legal
support and Leghari went to the Tenancy Tribunal, headed by Assistant
Commissioner of Sinjhoro However, the officials were frequently being changed and
at last the Tenancy Tribunal announced the verdict on September 8, 2014 and
ordered the landlords to pay Rs. 2.7 million to the peasant as outstanding amount of
his share in crops and also declared the right of tenancy of Ghulam Ali.
Since the landlords have support from the local politicians and legislators, so he did
not obey the tribunals orders. They started threatening to Ghulam Ali of dire
consequences. They also stopped him from cultivating the land. The peasant,

Ghulam Ali, had filed a petition in the office of Additional Deputy Commissioner for
implementation of the verdict of Tenancy Tribunal, which is under hearing.
In the meanwhile, on January 4, 2015, some armed personnel of the landlords
attacked the house of the peasant and hurled threats, asking him to leave the
place, otherwise, face the dire consequences. The matter was reported to the
Sinjhoro police on the same day with a request to provide protection to the peasant
family. But no step was taken. The poor Hari went to the District Sessions Judge,
Sanghar for filing an FIR, which was later registered. But despite that the police did
not take any action against the perpetrators. Police also failed to provide security to
the poor family.
Expulsion of Peasants family and burning of homes
On the early morning January 26 (at around 4 am) about 30-40 gunmen with
sophisticated weapons attacked the houses of peasants and started aerial firing to
frighten the family and other villagers of the nearby villages. They entered in his

house, threatened and abused him and evicted him on the gun point. Later,
they set ablaze the thatched houses of about 22 members of the family.
These armed thugs terrorize the poor family, who took temporary shelter in
their relatives house in a nearby village.
After removing the peasant family from their homes, the culprits set their

shelters at fire. They also took the livestock including buffaloes and their calves as
well as other valuables.
Ghulam Ali Leghari informed his supporters and comrades about the situation and
also informed the area police, but police were reluctant to intervene and said it was
a land dispute and they need further instructions from their higher officials.
Area peoples version
When the media from Sanghar and Hyderabad and civil society and human rights
activists visited the area for fact finding, the area people told very frightening
stories. They plead: it was quite horrible. They were panicked due to indiscriminate
aerial firing by dozens of armed men. They saw the flames coming out form the
homes of Ghulam Ali in the morning. The relatives of peasant family was joined by
his relatives and friends.
They deplored the local police authorities did not intervene to protect human lives.
They said the children and women were panicked while they were forced to leave
everything at home, including clothes and valuable things including mobile phones.
When the media persons from Sanghar, Sinjhoro and Hyderabad came to see the
situation, they they were also asked to stop distantly because of presence of armed
men in the houses. The suuporters activists protested to condemn the incident. The
Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) and Station House Officer (SHO) came at the
protest site and asked the villagers to end sit-in. Police also threatened them of

punitive steps in case they did not end protest. Police seemed supporting the
attackers and instead of supporting the peasant, police officers were alleging them
having occupied the piece of agriculture land owned by the landlords. The police
was justified the attack as an attempt to vacate the land by landlord people.
Ghulam Ali briefed the journalists and human rights activists about his family's
plight at the site of protest in Sinjhoro Taluka. He told them that armed gang of his
landlord Junejo forcibly removed them from their houses early in the morning on
January 26, 2015. The straw and wood houses were later set in fire by these armed
thugs.
Verdict under Tenancy Act
The Tenancy Tribunal of Sinjhoro operated by Assistance Commissioner gave a
verdict in favour of sharecropper (Ghulam Ali) on September 8, 2015 recognizing
him as a bonafide tenant and asked the landlords to pay him all the outstanding
amount. But the police and the concerned revenue officials failed to implement the
tribunals decision. The victim told the fact finding team that he was informed by
some of his comrades about the possible revengeful attack and he informed the
police for protection, but they failed to do so.
He said the police have been supporting the landlords and they are not ready to
take action against the politically influential people.
When the human rights activists with media persons from Hyderabad and Sanghar
visited the police station of Sinjhoro, the Station House officer (SHO) refused to
register FIR against the terrorists and it seems he was under pressure to provide
protection to the victim family. In the meantime, the peasants lawyer submitted the
application in the Session Judge's court for lodging FIR. The SHO had been
summoned to appear before the judge on Tuesday (January 27, 2015).
The victims plea
It is our right under the law that we should work as sharecropper without troubling
to the landlord. It is the landlord family, which has been violating the law and
deprived the due right of the crop share, which has been accumulating over the
years and amounting to total Rs 2.7 million.
The landlord family should pay the amount and allow the peasants to cultivate the
land live at the present place, where they have been living there for 32-years. The
landlords have adopted hostile approach and have deprived the peasants family of
their livelihood right.
The local police should arrest the culprits, reinstate the displaced family at their
houses and provide security and full protection to the family of Ghulam Ali Leghari.

All the valuables and livestock which have been taken away by the armed people be
recovered and a compensation should be provided to the peasant of his losses.