The people of Sindh, controlled for years by feudal lords and faith healers, seem to be waking up, raising their voice peacefully but consistently against the oppressors who have been treating farmers and their families as their personal property.
Be it the destruction of Karoonjhar hills, kidnappings for ransom or highway robberies, people have started to speak out, which was not always the case. The brutal murders of an academic and an animal rights activist were also protested against by a large number of local people, who, in the days gone by, would have preferred to move on with their own lives.
In fact, in one case that took place in Mehar taluka of Dadu, an FIR was boldly registered by a female member of the victim’s family. It was an act of absolute courage that was never expected before.
It is in this particular light that we must see the recent protests against the death of a domestic maid in the house of a spiritual leader in Sindh.
The widespread protest on social media platforms brought the matter to the attention of society at large and forced the administration to get involved in the matter.
This awakening among the people of Sindh is reassuring. The good thing is that the people are raising their voice collectively, peacefully and consistently. This is an evolution that we can, and should, trust; not a revolution that might lose steam overnight.
Federal and provincial governments would do well to understand this awakening and take due steps to respond rationally so that the energy of the people may get channelised positively.
MANSOOR UL HAQUE SOLANGI
KARACHI
