By Jan Khaskheli
Karachi
Karachi
Scheduled Castes Federation of Pakistan (SCFP), an organisation representing all Dalits in the country, has demanded their actual numbers are reflected and represented in political and legislative arrangements.
In a letter written to the Constitutional Reforms Committee of Senate, which is led by Senator Raza Rabbani, SCFP Chairman Surrender Valasai and General Secretary Engineer Gianchandani urged the government to conduct a census of Dalits which was separate from upper caste Hindus so that the precise number of Dalits in the national population can be ascertained. The letter further read that the scheduled castes form 80 per cent of the population registered as "Hindu & Scheduled Castes" in Pakistan, but despite their overwhelming majority, their political and other rights are grabbed by a tiny minority of upper caste Hindus.
"We cannot allow our rights to be snatched by the wealthy class of upper caste Hindus. For this, adequate legislation in the form of an article may be incorporated," the letter emphasised.
Dalits have faced untouchable status and caste discrimination for thousands of years in this part of the world. The Law of Manu or Manu Samriti, which governed most parts of the South Asia before partition, continues to be implemented in Pakistan in different forms and manifestations, the letter claimed.
The letter, a copy of which was received by The News, read that these 'so-called' laws that are invoked in Pakistan, especially in Tharparker desert region, are a complete violation of vision of Founder of the Nation, Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah.
The letter added that on November 12, 1957, the Ministry of Law had issued a presidential ordinance to declare certain non-Muslim castes as "scheduled castes", and 40 castes were added to this schedule.
The Ordinance was called the Scheduled Castes (Declaration) Ordinance, 1957. The SCFP said that while the idea of the Ordinance and phrase 'purpose of Constitution' were understandable, a six-percent job quota was subsequently reserved for Dalits in government departments. This allocation, however, was less than one per cent, if viewed as a national level percentage.
However, the sordid fact remains that this quota was never implemented in letter and spirit till its life ended in 1998 in regrettable circumstances. This quota needs to be restored and introduced in provinces too as per vision of Quaid-e-Azam, the letter demanded.
The letter further read that due to lack of constitutional protection, Dalits' representation in legislature, judiciary and government services and education has been dismal since the independence.
The letter requested to the committee to consider their demands for inclusion in the proposed Constitutional Package by the Reforms Committee, so that justice can be delivered to the country's more than four million Dalits.
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