Fifty-six labourers, including 13 women and 28 children, were released on Thursday after Samaro police recovered them on court orders from the agricultural farm owned by Waheed Qaimkhani. Janu Machhi had filed a petition in the Umerkot district and sessions court, seeking recovery and release of six families bonded by landlord Waheed near Samaro. The trial court ordered the Samaro police, which raided the farm and recovered the bonded labourers.
All the recovered peasants were produced in the court, which after recording their statements set them free. The peasants while talking with Pakistan Today that they had been working on the agricultural lands of Waheed for the last four years but the landlord used to maltreat them and their free movement was restricted. They added that they were denied healthcare facilities, education and food by the cruel property-owner, while humiliation and abusive attitude was a frequent practice. Meanwhile, the Umerkot Child Rights Committee called upon the State to rehabilitate the released families and provide them shelter, education and health facilities in order to save them from becoming beggars.
