Zulfiqar Shah

Zulfiqar Shah
Born (1977-01-01) 1 January 1977
Radhan, Dadu, Sindh
Organization Involuntarily closed downThe Institute for Social Movements, Pakistan
Movement Peasants and National Rights Movement in Sindh (Sindh Peasants Long March for land Reforms in 2009). Minority Rights movement in Sindh during 2011.

Zulfiqar Shah (Sindhi ذوالفقار شاہ Hindi जुल्फिकार शाह) is civil rights activist, journalist and writer of Sindhi origin. He was forced by Pakistan Army to unlawfully leave the country and close down The Institute for Social Movements, Pakistan in May 2012. He resettled in Nepal where UNHCR approved him refugee status. In Kathmandu, he started freelancing with the newspapers and websites on the issues of Pakistan particularly concerning Sindh and Balochistan. He was insurrected in his house in Kathmandu and was given heavy metal poison by Pakistani intelligence agency ISI with local facilitation; however he was rescued by the local doctors. He was forced to leave Nepal, thus he left for Pakistan in December 2013. In Pakistan, he again was persecuted and threatened to be killed. He went India for medical treatment on 11 February 2014, where he was not only denied appropriate health treatment on behalf of Pakistan High Commission in Delhi, but also was harassed by the high commission officials.[1][2][3][4] He, along his wife Fatima Shah, gave a protest sit-in for 285 days near Indian Parliament house against Pakistan High Commission and its facilitation by the Indian authorities.[5]

Shah was born in a rural town Radhan of district Dadu, Sindh province in Pakistan. Formally educated in Philosophy as well as Development Studies, he was executive director at The Institute for Social Movements, Pakistan and editor,The Social Movements journal during 2010 – 2012.

Previously he led Sindh province chapter of South Asia Partnership Pakistan (SAP PK), a countrywide rights based organisation. He has also served in University of Karachi as a Coordinator for National Institute of Excellence of Higher Education, a project by PEP Foundation, USA.;[6] and was Program Manager with Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum. He has been engaged with the political and democratic rights activism and movements in Sindh since last two decades.

Activism

Shah was active part of child rights activism in Sindh during 1988–1994. Later on, he played an active role in the working class rights, national and ethnic liberties and democratic rights.[7][8]

During 2004–2006, he played an important role in strengthening coastal communities movement for livelihood, ecological and water rights of Indus River Delta region.[9]

He is vocal for secularism, civil democratic rule in Pakistan with the minimised role of non-civil actors in the statecraft[10] and policies and always attempting to create peace[11] and 'one Southasia'[12] constituency among the opinion makers and activists in Sindh.

Since 2006, he is organising and actively advocating peasants' rights movement in Sindh.[13] In February 2009, he organised and led Sindh Peasants Long March for the land rights[14] from Hyderabad to Sindh Assembly, Karachi that was participated by the thousands of peasants from across the province and was carried out for 12 days through 350 kilometres.[15][16][17] He has been staunch advocate for land reforms in Pakistan.[18]

Shah has also been actively engaged in the civil society's initiatives against enforced disappearances in Sindh and Baluchistan and victimisation of peasants rights activists and agriculture labourers.[19] He, at various times, due to his bold stance has been persecuted by the various state and non-state factors.[20][21] He was also part of the civil society peace initiatives for peace in South Asia, particularly between Pakistan and India.[22]

In the recent wave of extremist violence in Pakistan after the murder of Salman Taseer, a staunch leader of Pakistan People's Party and Governor of Punjab, he along with many other civil society and peace activists initiated and strengthened peace activism in interior Sindh. He also facilitated and convened the Movement for Peace & Tolerance,Pakistan[23] that is engaging rural Sindh activists in the pro peace movement.[24] In November 2011, he along with civil society activists from across the province launched a massive campaign against forced conversions, abductions and targeted murders of Hindus and other religious minorities in Sindh.[25][26]

The 'Great Flood of Pakistan' 2010 victimised beyond 7 million people from various districts of Sindh and more than 5 million people became internally displaced persons.[27] Shah along with other activists facilitated quick support regarding the medical relief in the 12 districts of Sindh.[28][29] Previously, he facilitated the rain floods of 2007 that almost inundated Hyderabad city, the second largest city of the province. He is also engaged in the flood victims and IDPs rights advocacy.[30]

Books and publications

Shah has authored at least three books that include Decline of Pakistan, Beyond Federalism: a sociopolitical treatise on Sindhi nationalism in India (1843–1947) and Pakistan (1947–2012) published in 2013 and Politics of Afghan Future by the end of June 2014.[31]

His research studies and papers include Indus Delta-An Environmental Assessment, Race and Ethnicity in South Asia, History of Sindhi Nationalism, and Roots of Jainism in Sindh besides many others. His book Indus Delta: An Environmental Assessment[32] and booklet Water, People & Protests[33] were published in 2005 and 2003 respectively.

Shah was associated with Daily Kawish, the largest daily newspaper in Sindh from 1996 to 1998. He has contributed over a couple of hundreds columns, article and research papers in Sindhi and English language published with the newspapers, magazines and website based in Pakistan, Nepal, India, USA, Russia, UK, Hong Kong, Germany and Afghanistan that include daily The Kathmandu Post, Nepal, Truthout, USA, The Descrier, UK, Russia Direct, Moscow, daily Afghanistan Times, Kabuldaily Dawn, Karachi, daily The News, Karachi, weekly The Friday Times, Lahore, monthly Newsline, Karachi, daily Kawish and daily Ibrat, Hyderabad and merinews The Social Movements; daily Republica, Nepal and daily Outlook Afghanistan, Kabul.

Affiliation

Zulfiqar Shah is associated with IAES deemed University India. He was a member of Bangladesh Bharat Pakistan Peoples Forum and International Society for Philosophers, Sheffield University, UK. He was also an ordinary member The International Institute of Strategic Studies, (IISS) UK during 2009–2011.

See also

References

  1. ↑
  2. ↑
  3. ↑
  4. ↑
  5. ↑
  6. ↑
  7. ↑ Daily Dawn, Karachi 14 August 2009
  8. ↑ Rally Pakistan: Discrimination over Right to Natural Resources
  9. ↑ Daily The News, Karachi 21 October 2006
  10. ↑ Rally Pakistan and Daily The News Karachi, OPED Pages
  11. ↑ India PR Wire News Agency
  12. ↑ The Indian News
  13. ↑ Daily Dawn Karachi, 6 December 2008
  14. ↑
  15. ↑ Daily Dawn, Karachi 16 February 2009
  16. ↑ Sindh Peasants Long March Video Clips: 1
  17. ↑ Sindh Peasants Long March Video Clips: 2
  18. ↑ Encounter Page, Daily Dawn Karachi, February 2008
  19. ↑ Daily Dawn, Karachi August, 2009
  20. ↑ Daily Dawn, Karachi September 2009
  21. ↑ Rally Pakistan & Daily Dawn Karachi,OPED pages, March 2008
  22. ↑ India PR Wire News Agency
  23. ↑ Daily Dawn Karachi
  24. ↑ Daily Dawn arachi
  25. ↑
  26. ↑
  27. ↑ Himal Southasian, Nepal, October 2010
  28. ↑ The Institute for Social Movements, Pakistan
  29. ↑ Fishing the Money, Express Tribune, Karachi 20 August 2010
  30. ↑ Daily Dawn, Karachi, 8 September 2010
  31. ↑ []
  32. ↑ Indus Delta: An Environmental Assessment Book Review: Books & Authors, Daily Dawn, Karachi
  33. ↑ Brief Review – Water, People & Protest
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