Peace and security are basics for any society to prosper. The purpose of modern states is to ensure safety for everyone irrespective of their social status. Absence of social tranquillity and the persistent act of violence and fear in any society disturb businesses, shatter lives, and tear societies apart.
Any progressive society or government will uphold security so that people can utilize their full potential and intellectual capabilities for their betterment. Safety and peace are fundamental for creating a society where citizens can live without fear, pursue their aspirations, and build a better future for themselves and future generations.
Though peace and security or broader concept encompassing human security, expanding peoples’ choices and freedom, and removing factors that affects peoples’ capabilities, here I am focusing on the very basics of personal safety and security.
Since decades, both rural and urban areas of Sindh have been in the grip of violence and lawlessness. Even with the geographical advantage of a long coastline, a thriving urban centre and a strong natural resources base with a vast irrigation network, people have been denied a peaceful environment conducive to development.
Sindh’s urban centres have remained in the grip of lawlessness, extortion and killing for long. In the past, groups involved in it were supported by the very state operatives who were supposed to be responsible for maintaining peace. A heavy price was paid by the province and the country, and this state of lawlessness not only affected businesses but also led to the deaths of hundreds.
Growth stunted and unemployment and poverty increased in the province, creating a vicious cycle of future lawlessness. While billions were spent on lost years on law-enforcement, the root causes of this violence – political manipulation and support to achieve certain undefined goals – were neither addressed nor anyone was made accountable.
Similarly, rural areas especially upper Sindh districts are highly volatile, and all kinds of crimes and violence are prevalent. After a few years of relative calm, the situation in upper Sindh has once again become worrisome with increased incidents of violence, extortion, snatching and abduction.
The situation indicates the breakdown of a state-led governance system. It has been left to local sardars, who have succeeded to appoint their relatives in the police, district administration and judiciary. In this way, they virtually rule their areas. That these sardars are given more space to strengthen their power base is worrying. Interestingly, instead of cutting down the power of old sardars and promoting progressive and equal political power, middle-class politicians in the last two decades have chosen to become new ‘sardars’.
This is not the 18th century about which HT Lambrick said that “the predatory Jakhranis and Domkis were essentially tribes of horsemen who secured the country for plunder from the Bolan to Shikarpur.” We are talking about a situation almost 200 years later in a post-colonial state and the disappointing role of institutions to provide peace, justice, and development in the area.
Over a dozen previous sardars, pirs and a few new entrants in this list are virtually governing numerous aspects of public life. They have strengthened their reign by replacing state institutions such as police, district administration and judiciary and hear cases on their own. They give judgments on cases involving heinous crimes like murder, imposing penalties. They have established their mini states similar to the princely states of the British era.
Some of these sardars are well-educated and have their degrees from foreign universities, but they are enjoying power over local communities and do not want to pursue a vision for equal rights and progressive society. Their foreign learning is not practiced due to their inherited power and privilege – no reason to give that up.
In recent years, instead of weakening the power of these non-state actors, the retreat of state and weak public institutions has created more space for them to fortify power base through substituting state functions.
Lawlessness suits them as it loops desperate people back in their rope. There are also rumours that these informal power holders help several stakeholders retain their power. Therefore, they are untouchable. Some police officers initially tried to restore institutional order but get marginalized either within their departments or through political corridors and became silent.
The overall situation for public is pathetic. These areas are being ruled by fear, people are killed, looted, and abducted for ransom. This affects businesses, and development in the area is stagnated. People give in to these sardars, losing the very dignity that is essence of humans. Educated and middle-class people try to escape or work out a compromise. They often get killed for rising up against this injustice.
Rich and privileged people live in gated island communities in cities or some rural havelis. Whoever can afford to escape the rule of fear moves to urban areas. But the question is: for how long will these islands be protected with force, private security, and barbed wires? These firewalls may not withstand the anger brimming among people against these injustices.
The institution and people assigned to restore peace and ensure security are either involved or complicit in these act of violence and lawlessness. This situation is creating further chaos in society, demotivating young people. A dangerous and hopeless aspect of this lawlessness is that there is no roadmap from those who have the authority to lay the foundation of a modern and progressive state based on equality and social justice.
There are no forces which can tackle the situation; political leadership is often taken over by mediocre vested interests; writers and intellectuals seem tired and barely say anything about this injustice; and ‘morality’ seems the idea of a difference universe. This may appear to be a pessimistic view, but this is the reality. And denying the reality will not help. There is no light at the end of the tunnel. All we need is a miracle to get out of this situation.
The anger brimming inside people may explode and wipe out the citadel of power and elitism, creating further chaos. History tells us that ordinary people have the power to demand the powerful give up their power. So, the question is: how long will the islands be remained protected in both the urban and rural areas of Sindh?
The writer is an Islamabad-based
environmental and human rights activist.