KARACHI - Achar Lund, a 77-year old farmer is stranded as local landlords have blocked pathways heading outside the village threatening poor families not to use the makeshift trails. Adding to that, minors are not allowed to go to schools while females are barred from visiting nearby health facilities for treatment.
Residing with a few community people near Jaffar Khan Leghari Village in Sanghar district, Achar Lund calls this act of landlord’s revenge, as he dared to challenge the treatment of landowners and influential persons.
He has spent his entire life there and is the eyewitness of political changes. He recalls the situation around him during the partition of subcontinent and claims to have witnessed ups and downs of the people from his neighborhood. Then he witnessed the political culture of abuse towards their farmers.
He was among a crowd of peasant workers who hailed from different villages of Sanghar district to discuss the issues they are facing at the hands of their landlords.
These people in Sanghar had witnessed worst flooding, destruction and displacement in disaster 2011. After two years, many families were still living in the suburbs of their native villages because they have lost their sources of incomes.
The old farmer claims to have registered his complaints almost everywhere, district administration and other local influential people fearing that the lives of his grandchildren were at risk. But it seems all went in vain.
When asked, he said “if a landlord has any odds with their community people they are ready for resolution of dispute through dialogue at local level.” But he said that the recent disagreements has left the farmer’s families vulnerable and under constant stress.
The old man is the father of five sons with more than a dozen grandsons some of them are going to school in the neighbouring village.
Ghulam Ali Leghari, a local hari leader confirmed the same situation being faced by other farmers living in the district. He says they are mobilising affected farmers facing the similar situation to come together, strengthen unity and save their lives.
Leghari takes this phenomenon a common situation for farmer families living in the district. Sanghar district now has become disaster-prone because of faulty artificial drains, fragile drainage system and cruel role of landlords.
There is an artificial drainage flowing from the district to end into the sea in Badin district, which panicked hundreds of families in 2011.
Ameer Bakhsh, another senior peasant claims to have 45 year experience of farming is facing a similar threat. There were hundreds of farmers, who raised their points during public gatherings, demanding local hari courts, where they may lodge complaints against all kinds of ill-treatment and torture to their children. He said they want nothing but justice to their families.  PFF Chairperson Mohammed Ali Shah lauded the daring approach of the haris in gathering and assured them support and protection them from landlords’ brutalities. Shah announced a campaign to resolve minor issues facing farmers in the district. In this regard, he appealed to all the political activists, peace campaigners, women organisations, herders, fishermen and farmers to have a unity to address these hardships.
He said haris do not have proper shelter, hence whenever the landlords want they push these poor families to leave the area on short notice. They are vulnerable to face natural calamities, hunger and poverty.
National Workers Party (NWP) leader Hassan Askari said elected legislators after reaching assemblies as always extend their support to such landlords instead of protecting the basic rights of haris. He said that the laws are available but are not being implemented.
He quoting laws said landlords should pay their share of expenses for cultivation, usage of agriculture machinery, seed and fertilizer as per prescribed rule. The Sindh government recently passed a Sindh Tenancy Act 2013 but according to farmers, new law has not provided any relief to their community.