Marhtta Qaumii Itehad

Balochistan

Abdali

Durrani

Panipat

Babu Sedo Marhtta Bugti

Chhatrapati Shivaji

After organising several protest marches since 2016, the Maratha community is all set to set out on their largest-ever protest rally in Mumbai on Wednesday. The ripples of the Maratha Kranti Morcha have gone so far as to cross the border and reach Pakistan’s Balochistan province.The Marhtta Qaumii Itehad (Pakistan), the largest organisation of the Maratha community in Balochistan, has also started a similar campaign in support of Indian Marathas getting their legal rights. They will even conduct a similar march in Balochistan on Wednesday.The community in Balochistan comprises descendants of soldiers who were taken prisoner by Ahmed Shah, founder of theempire, and later taken to Afghanistan as slaves during the third battle ofin 1760. While they were all converted to Islam, they continue to bear a strong connection to their Maratha roots and have managed to establish themselves in Balochistan as a major community.Now, in support of Wednesday’s morcha, their leaders have started a social networking campaign on Facebook.Chief of the Marhtta Qaumii Itehad, Wadera Din Muhammad Marhtta Bugti, in a message said, “We fully support the protest in India. We condemn any injustice meted out to the community and agree that there should be a reservation quota for them when it comes to government jobs and education. In Pakistan, the rights of the community have been established. Why can’t it be the same in India?”Speaking to Mirror from Pakistan, another Maratha leader, Wazir Khan Marhtta, said, “We have not forgotten our roots. If our brothers and sisters are facing distress, how can we keep quiet? It is our moral responsibility to raise our voices for them.”Another leader, Zafar Marhtta Bugti, added, “In Pakistan, we are getting reserved seats when it comes to getting government jobs — why isn’t it the same in India, their own country?”Another community member, Nasrullah Marhtta Bugti, said, “We have conserved the century-old traditions in our everyday lives. We are warriors by birth and if we cannot get our rights peacefully, we will fight for them, no matter where we are.”Memberpointed out, “We have established ourselves here in all major fields such as the military, education, politics, agriculture, telecom, etc. Several Marathi words and dishes are still part of our culture. Due to religious restrictions, we cannot celebrate the birth anniversary of, but we keep his memories alive.”The third battle of Panipat took place in January 1760 between the Marathas and Abdali. Around 22,000 men and women were taken to Afghanistan as slaves after Abdali won the war.The Marathas remained slaves for the next 150 years, before slowly working their way to prosperity. Their wedding ceremonies are still quite similar to the Maratha nuptials and they continue to use Maratha titles before their names.█ We condemn any injustice meted out to the community. In Pakistan, the rights of the community have been established. Why can’t it be the same in India?