Bahawalpur: On concluding a two-day rights camp in Cholistan, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) Tuesday called on the government to take immediate steps to ensure that Cholistan’s people are no longer deprived of the rights to which they are entitled as equal citizens of Pakistan.

Based on the testimonies that HRCP has documented, foremost among people’s demands is that land in this area be allotted only to native Cholistanis in accordance with the law. HRCP continues to receive reports that large tracts of land are being allotted to non-locals and that land allotment to locals is being arbitrarily delayed by the Cholistan Development Authority.

People have also demanded that Cholistan be made a separate district, consolidating those parts that currently fall within Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar and Rahimyar Khan into a contiguous district. This would give the Cholistani people the opportunity to elect their own national and provincial assembly members, thereby better representing their needs and interests. It would also give them their own domicile and corresponding quotas in employment and education.

Of particular concern to HRCP are Cholistan’s women, religious minorities and gender minorities. HRCP fully supports their demand for better access to healthcare, education and livelihood opportunities without any discrimination based on gender, gender identity or faith.

Access to water and grazing land remains integral to Cholistan’s survival, given that its semi-nomadic population depends almost solely on agriculture and livestock. Given the growing likelihood of extreme weather events, such as droughts, in the future, the government must ensure that the area’s population has access to adequate water for the consumption of humans and livestock.

HRCP also demands that the indigenous identity of Cholistan’s native population be recognized and protected. The national census should recognize Marwari speakers as a distinct linguistic group, while the Punjab government must develop a strategy in consultation with Cholistan’s people to ensure that their rich built heritage, artisanship and biodiversity is preserved.

HRCP recommends that the Punjab Assembly hold a special session on the problems faced by the people of Cholistan and promulgate appropriate laws to redress the longstanding grievances of this population.