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Khubchand Gobindram BHATIA
liquor trader in Karachi; from longstanding Karachi family;
Sindhi first language; prosperous; elderly; president of
'Hindu Panchayat Karachi Division'
322 - between 50 and 75,0000 Hindus now in Karachi; 4 or 5
big temples, but lots of small temples - in
sanitary workers' colonies etc
327 - 'maj of caste Hs left Pak in 47, ... SC predominant
comm still living in Pak'
332 - [sitn of hs in Pak] 'it's at the whim of the
majority commy, fi they like you it's alright,
otherwise, you are always in trouble; secondly, if
there's any trouble in India ... the repercussions
are felt here, th Hs feel unsafe; the govt sometimes
tries to save them, sometimes they allow them to do
the worst and they have to suffer'
337 - [after Babri Masjid] 'so many temples were destroyed ...
so many small temples in the san workers colony were
destroyed ... but at that time, no caste Hindu was
troubled ... the biggest temple is opposite KMC which
was defended by the govt by posting rangers and police'
344 - problems in interior Sindh; govt compensation for
repairing temples
348 - Hindus have separate electorate; 'v diff task for an
ordinary Hindi to contest prov ass or natnl ass'
370 > 'conversions always take place ... even then the Hs live'
376 - 'I am proud to be a Pakistani, I had an option to go away
from Pak, but no, I love my country, I love my place of
birth'
Side A
5 - 'about 14 or 15 lakh Hs in whole if Sindh [before 47] ...
Ms came, they started occupying the houses of the Hs
living here, and they went away'
12 - 'there was a small batch of Sikhs coming from Sindh to
Karachi, the Ms attacked those people [in central K]
... then riots spread, looting started, govt tried to
stop it, but people felt panicky and they left'
22 - 'our house [in K] was attacked; the ladies were alone in
the house, it was during day time ... a refugee, M
refugee, who had recently taken a go-down nearby came
and told them on the holy Koran that there's no non-
M living in this bldg, so pse why are you attacking
them, they'd already lost everything there ... so on
that assurance they left and we were safe; then my
family left for India - I and my father both stayed
here';
38 > family returned - had one son then, after three more
children were born; has dau in America, others in
Dubai, one son in Bombay, other in Chicago; now
living with wife
50 > consequences if house had been fully attacked - wife
about 17 then, mother there, and young sister; 'we
are grateful to that man, that man is dead now, but
we always pray for him'
68 - 'we fe;t scared and we sent away the family ... we had
property here ... we had some business here ... we
cant go away and leave them'; family sent to Guj
81 - [think about migrating to India] 'no, never ...'
88 - 'a lot of people lost their properties here ... there
was a loss of property, but not of life'
94 - [who made the right decision, those who stayed or those
who went] 'those who went, they felt panicky and they |
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