“Police Free 25 People from Private Jail in Sindh”

Hyderabad: In a significant operation, police, acting on a court order, raided a private facility in Shaheed Benazirabad, uncovering a makeshift jail run by a local landlord. During the raid, 25 individuals were freed and brought before the Sindh High Court’s circuit bench in Hyderabad.

According to the police report submitted to the court, the 25 individuals were allegedly held against their will by the landowner in his private jail. The freed prisoners confirmed these claims during their testimony in court.

Justice Muhammad Hassan, presiding over the case in the circuit bench, ruled that the freed individuals were entitled to live their lives freely without any further constraints.

This incident sheds light on the continued issue of bonded labor in Pakistan’s agricultural sector, a practice that has been persistently documented despite various legal interventions.

In a similar case, the Islamabad High Court, led by Justice Athar Minallah, addressed the issue of bonded labor in brick kilns in November 2021. During the proceedings, the court was presented with a report from a Supreme Court commission on forced labor, which revealed that debt bondage, a modern form of slavery, was widespread among laborers. The court ruled that all laborers had the right to leave their employment at any time without the obligation to repay any loan tied to their work.

Justice Minallah emphasized that the practice of debt bondage was illegal, reaffirming that such practices were in direct violation of Supreme Court orders.