Walking through the narrow alleys of her neighborhood in central Karachi, Salma, 36, shows around some houses and small businesses that belong to her acquaintances and relatives from the Bengali community in the heart of Karachi. Ethnic Bengali women, mainly settled in Karachi, mostly work as domestic help and have been hit hard by economic turmoil in Pakistan. A 2016 UN Women’s report reveals that women are reported to be doing more unpaid care and domestic work than men in South Asia. According to Sheikh Muhammad Siraj, the chairperson of Pakistan Bengali Action Committee who has been advocating for the rights of the Bengali community since 1993, Bengalis are commonly labeled as “aliens, refugees, and foreigners” and are deprived of their rights. Poverty, but loyaltyPakistan’s history has been marked by turbulent relations with the Bengali community.

Source: Economic Times November 19, 2023 13:45 UTC