“The zamindar system, originally applied in Bengal, gave the responsibility of the entire village to one landowning family, which naturally created resentment.” government was strong, the British encountered resistance. They decided to pursue a policy of non-interference. The tribes were allowed to selfgovern so long as they formally accepted British rule (Gazdar, 2009:6). The zamindar system, originally applied in Bengal, gave the responsibility of the entire village to one landowning family, which naturally created resentment. The zamindar became the owner of the land and the hari became the equivalent of a serf. Almost all zamindars were Muslims. The British modified this system to the mahalwari system, where a village was seen as a collective entity and multiple landowners were given the responsibility of collecting taxes (Gazdar, 2009:8). Two factors were taken into consideration before conferring the title of landlord: (1) possession of the land; and (2) historical rights or claim over it. A record of sale was meaningless as the rigid notions of private property did not exist (Gazdar, 2009:9). The ryotwari system considered the tiller of the soil as the owner of the soil. Revenue expectations were allotted to specific areas of land and all those working on the land had an incentive to maximize output. Ideally, in Sindh, this would have meant 90 that the hari, the laborer, was the owner of the land (Gazdar, 2009:11-12). The debate on land reform did not take into account the conditions of agriculture in Sindh. Though it was accepted that the zamindar was exploiting the tenant, the zamindar’s investment in the irrigation of land, something which was a slightly complex and resource-driven task, was not taken into consideration. Without the state creating the framework to replace the zamindar, the economies of scale made land reform a meaningless proposition (Gazdar, 2009:24-25). The government of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto created laws in Sindh that favored the tenant. The cost of input shares was placed on the zamindar and relaxed on the hari. When Bhutto’s government was removed from power, tensions against the military reached a point that it became unforeseeable for the Punjabi landowners to manage their land in Sindh. Many sold their land and moved away. It was under these circumstances that some landless poor, including Bheel families, were able to acquire land (Gazdar, 2009:19). Later, the input share law that had allowed for a feeling of empowerment amongst the hari was overturned. Most investment in Sindhi agriculture was done to favor the existing ruling class or for the government to use as a means to award loyalists (Gazdar, 2009:13). Property Rights and Bonded Labor The bonded labor system in Sindh sustains itself because of difficulties in irrigation. The amount of investment required in water and the lack of irrigation in certain areas compelled small farmers to work on larger farms. These farmers were Asian NGO Coalition for Agrarian Reform and Rural Development (ANGOC)