Minorities complain of discrimination in Pak

Islamabad: Members of Pakistan's minority communities affected by the devastating floods across Sindh province have complained that they are being denied aid by religious and charitable organisations engaged in relief operations.

Members of the under-privileged scheduled castes are among those who say that organisations conducting relief efforts have been discriminating against them.

Mohan Kolhi, a community chief living near Khoski town in Badin district, said a religious organisation set up a relief camp in the area but did not distribute even a single bag of rations to members of the scheduled caste community.

"When we visited the relief camp, the prayer leader of the mosque told us that the ration is only for Muslims," Kolhi told The Express Tribune.

They were not even allowed to drink water from fountains set up outside the camps, he said.

"Sindh is our motherland and we have been living here for centuries. So what if we are scheduled castes? We are also humans," he said.

The scheduled castes of southern Sindh province, including Kolhis, Meghwars, Bheels and Oads, are predominantly employed as farmers in Badin district. The province has a sizeable Hindu population.

These Hindu farmers usually take loans from landlords and tend to land with their families all year round to pay them back.

They are most vulnerable to natural disasters like the recent devastating rains and subsequent flash floods.

"My landlord loaned Rs 50,000 and I used it to plant cotton on 20 acres... All my crops have been damaged. I don't know how I will pay back my landlord," said Kolhi.

Kirtar Lal Meghwar, an agricultural expert who works at Laar Humanitarian and Development Program, corroborated Kolhi's account.

Organisations that have set up relief camps are following in the footsteps of banned religious groups and discriminating against minorities, he said.

"They ignore the scheduled castes every time disaster strikes, whether it is cyclones, floods or heavy rains," said Meghwar.

The 50,000 scheduled caste members living in villages across Badin district are facing similar problems, he said.

However, Sattar Zangejo, affiliated with Britain-based aid group Oxfam, said his organisation had been directed to focus on vulnerable segments of society, including non-Muslims and scheduled castes.

The floods in Sindh have killed over 200 people and affected more than five million.