1. Preamble
We as Seraiki Social Forum (a chapter of World Social Forum) ) demand that the democratic civilian government should explicitly recognize our separate linguistic and cultural identity. While we appreciate the government initiative for the increased provincial autonomy, we are however afraid that, without federal reorganization and political autonomy and separation of Siraiki region, it would further exacerbate the exploitation and extraction of our resources and pose an imminent threat to the distinct cultural and linguistic identity of Siraiki region.
As Siraiki, people have always supported democratic regimes and voted for federal democratic political parties, we are hopeful that the present democratic government would include our specific demands in the proposed Constitutional Package: A brief summary of our constitutional demands/suggestions is in the following:
– An immediate establishment of Siraiki province.
– Announcement of a separate NFC Award for Siraiki Nation.
– Representation of separate Siraiki region in important federal institutions such as Senate, National Finance Commission, IRSA, etc.
– Inclusion of Siraiki language in the forthcoming National Census.
– Recognition of the children’s fundamental right to primary education in their mother tongue
2. Siraiki Case: Multiple Deprivation of Siraiki Region
Siraiki region is comprised of culturally and linguistically compact and contiguous region which is geographically located in the center of Pakistan. Most of the people in the Siraiki region are natives and have the consciousness of their distinct language, culture, natural resources and historical territories.
Siraiki territories had always enjoyed internal political autonomy. These territories were recently incorporated with Punjab and other provinces. The status of Multan as a separate administrative province was abolished when Maharaja Ranjit Singh conquered Multan in 1822. The British Indian Empire maintained this situation because of its frontier policy and theory of the greater Punjab. Similarly, the state of Bahawalpur, which succeeded to maintain its separate status under the British India, lost its regional political autonomy after its merger into Punjab province during the one-unit scheme. The strong public protest against the merger of the Bahawalpur state is on the record. The situation was not much dissimilar in the case of Dera Ismail Khan.
The consequences of this loss of political autonomy over Siraiki territories and their subsequent merger into Punjab and Pakhtoonkhawh (NWF) Province proved disastrous.
Colonization, exploitation and extraction of Siraiki resources: For the last six decades, Siraiki region experienced drastic imbalances in its regional demography. The change in regional demography occurred mainly due to land colonization schemes and allotment of hundred thousands acres of land to outsiders from the central Punjab. For example, in the case of TDA Canal, about 75 percent of newly irrigated land was allotted to the outside settlers. Similar land allotments were made in the case of Damaan and Cholistan sub-regions of Siraiki wasaib. Siraiki region is also the center for lavish land allotments to civil and military bureaucrats.
Despite the fact that Siraiki region is rich in its land, water, mineral and agricultural resources, almost its entire districts are ranked high in terms of deprivation ranking and poverty. A recently prepared Asian Development Bank (ADB) report on “Pakistan Poverty Profile” acknowledges that the incidence of poverty in the South Punjab is the highest both in the urban and rural areas of Punjab province (ADB, 2000). A report of Social and Policy Development Center (SPDC) notes that “[t]here is a cleat north-south developmental divide in Punjab". All of the lower half of the most deprived districts in Punjab are in the southern part of the province. Moreover, southern Punjab districts generally rank high on deprivation with respect to employment, education and housing indicators. (SDPC, 2004). In fact, there is no shortage of independent evidence about the chronic poverty and deprivation of Siraiki region.
This is our firm belief and lived experience that development without the fundamental right of political and administrative autonomy will continue to transfer precious Siraiki economic and human resources to central Punjab and other region, resulting into vicious cycle of deprivation and exploitation.
Siraiki language, media and threat to Siraiki identity: Siraiki people are encountered with an imminent threat to their distinct cultural and linguistic identity. The development of Siraiki language, spoken by millions of people, has been totally ignored and suppressed in the continuation of British colonial language policy. Resultantly, there is only one national newspaper “Daily Jhok Siraiki: which is being published despite the countless pressures and dire want of resources.
A recently established Paksiatn Television has been kept heavily understaffed and under-budgeted and so it has been so far failed to cater growing cultural needs of Siraiki region. The numerous private Siraiki TV channels filled this vacuum. These TV channels are under non-Siraiki control which turn them eventually anti-Siraiki. Not only they are ruthlessly exploiting Siraiki human resource but are instrumental in distorting Siraiki language as well as imposing upon untrue and false images of Siraiki culture.
Last but not least, Siraiki language speakers have never been adequately enumerated through national census. Resultantly, the numerical strength of Siraiki people have never been reflected in ill-designed census reports. This is the fundamental demand of Siraiki people that Siraiki language should be directly included in the census rather than its enumeration through falsified and tricky sampling methodologies.
Education and Employment: Despite the fact hat Siraiki language is spoken by millions of people, there is no significant use of this language in education institution. Siraiki children are deprived of their fundamental right to primary education in their mother tongue. Similarly, the provincial governments have resisted any suggestion for the appointment of Siraiki subject experts at college level. There are thousands of MA Siraiki who are unemployed and desperately seeking job in educational institutions.
Not a single Siraiki district rank higher with respect to education. There is a marked intra-provincial disparity so far as education infrastructure and facilities are concerned. While about twenty higher education institutions, dully recognized by Higher Education (HEC), are located in Lahore, Siraiki region has only two such public universities. Interestingly, the combined budget of these two universities is comparatively less than Government College University (GCU) in Lahore. The recent example of sheer injustice in education sector is the decision of the provincial government to transfer of the project for neuroscience development from Bahwal Victoria Hospital (Bahwalpur) to Lahore.
The situation becomes worst when we compare this low level of education with employment opportunities in Siraiki region. Almost all important administrative and other posts are occupied by the employees recruited from the central Punjab. The absence of employment quota for Siraiki region is the major cause of high unemployment rate in Siraiki region.
3. Constitutional Reforms and Siraiki Case
The constitutional provisions for the creation of new state/province are alike in both in India and Pakistan. The central governments in both countries can create new state/province with simple act of parliament. In this regard, they don’t need even seek the consent of the affected state/province. However the actual experiences of both countries in this regard present stark contrast. While the central government in India has relatively used these powers to remove federal imbalances and thus create internal stability and security in the country, the central governments especially the successive military regimes have tried to weaken the federal character of the constitution.
We believe the proposed constitutional reforms present the opportunity to the present democratic government to take certain constitutional steps to address the claims of Siraiki people for separate constitutional status. Not only it would help to balance and strengthen the federation but also make it possible to address the issue of prevalent chronic poverty and deprivation.
Submitted by:
G.M.Ghanjera
Convener
Seraiki Social Forum (a chapter of World Social Forum)
PH: 0322-8384223