At least half a million children were employed in the carpet trade alone. Because of the tension between Islamic and Christian communities in Pakistan, some would say the killing of lqbal was a purely religious matter. On one level this is a mere smoke screen. But on a more complex and sinister level, there is some connection between the fact that Iqbal was Christian and the fact that he was pressed into slavery in the first place. They count on family members who occupy positions of authority in local, provincial, national and police bodies to look the other way when laws are violated, or, in many cases, to actively participate in crimes against workers and minorities.
Poverty is often the surface excuse for a problem with deeper roots.
It s a fallacy to see lqbal s death solely as the result of brutal economics, rather than the outcome of broader, more pervasive violations of fundamental human rights. On one level lqbal s story is surely economic poor people have less education, less income, less power than the rich. This system ensnared lqbal at the age of four. The BLLF has taken some cases to court, but police and employer intimidation, along with judges unwillingness to enforce the law, had prevented any prosecutions under the 1992 law. It s at a deeper, generally hidden level that Iqbal s tragedy intersects with millions of Pakistani citizens and helps to explain the oppressive social and cultural patterns that are partly responsible for his death.