HYDERABAD: Sindh Police on Wednesday raided a landlord’s private jail in Shaheed Benazirabad on court orders, recovering 25 people allegedly held in illegal confinement and producing them before the Sindh High Court’s circuit bench in Hyderabad.
According to officials, the operation was carried out after the court took notice of reports regarding unlawful detention. The police submitted a report confirming the recovery of the detainees, who told the court that they had been imprisoned by the landowner and forced to work on his property.
Justice Muhammad Hassan, who heard the case at the Hyderabad circuit bench, ordered that the freed individuals be allowed to live their lives freely without any restrictions.
The incident has once again brought attention to the continuing issue of bonded labour in Pakistan’s agricultural sector, particularly in rural Sindh, where cases of private jails and forced labour have periodically surfaced despite multiple crackdowns.
Bonded labour, a practice in which workers are trapped in servitude to repay loans, has long been declared illegal under Pakistani law. However, human rights groups say enforcement remains weak, and victims often face intimidation and threats when seeking freedom.
In a similar case in 2021, the Islamabad High Court, led by Justice Athar Minallah, heard petitions regarding forced labour at brick kilns.
The court, citing findings from a Supreme Court commission, described debt bondage as a “form of modern slavery” and reaffirmed that all labourers have the right to discontinue work at any time. The bench also declared loans tied to bondage illegal and in violation of Supreme Court orders.
The Sindh High Court’s latest intervention highlights the persistence of bonded labour despite repeated judicial efforts to end the practice, underscoring the need for stronger provincial enforcement mechanisms and protections for vulnerable workers.
