After intensive negotiations, the students of 15 universities and institutes of Lahore have come together to establish a unified stance with regard to the recent political upheavals in Pakistan. The statement issued by the students is as follows.
Press Release:
We - students of universities in Lahore – raise our collective voice against the current state of emergency rule and unite on a common agenda. Our demands in sum are aimed to ensure that the people of Pakistan are empowered through a free and fair election process, in order to move national development and progress forward.
We unite to condemn the coercive actions of the government that have moved Pakistan away from the path of peoples' rule towards internal chaos, through extreme restrictions of constitutional freedoms.
We call upon youth all over Pakistan to unite in order to denounce the state of emergency cum martial law imposed against the country's judicial organ and the people of Pakistan. We declare our intent to remain in steadfast opposition to these actions of the regime and to boycott the upcoming elections if the government does not accept the following demands:
1. Lifting of Martial Law
2. Restoration of the Judiciary to its pre-3rd Nov state
3. Restoration of the Constitution to its pre-3rd Nov state
4. Removal of curbs on Media Freedom
5. Release of Protest Prisoners and dropping of charges against them
We declare our unified decision of refusing to recognize as legitimate any government formed under an election process that precludes the acceptance of these demands. We call upon all political parties of Pakistan – that have repeatedly stated that they stand for democracy and justice – to stand by their declarations and boycott any such election held before these basic demands have been satisfied.
We, students of universities in Lahore, hereby declare that we consider any such election to be both unconstitutional and an affront to the very name of democratic rule in the country.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Students of Lahore Universities and Colleges form Student Action Committee
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8 comments:
Students in London and across the UK are (among other things) holding a candlelight vigil on Tuesday evenings to mark their resistance to the emergency. In London this takes place outside the BBC head office but others stage them on their campuses etc. Please join in our efforts to organize a simultaneous effort in Lums every week as well.
which 15 universities endorsed the message?
"We agree to disavow any legitimacy to any government formed without an election process that precludes the acceptance of our demands." Do you realise what that means dude? It means that we will not accept the legitimacy of any government which is actually elected after our conditions are accepted. Meaning we're contradicting our own selves! Who wrote this? Man the students of lahore institutes and universities really need to fix their english if they want to engage in legal and political debates! :p
yeah id like to know which 15, as well... please specify, thanks so much! power to the ppl!!
After the removal of honourable judges and arrest of brave lawyers, you students are giving us hope of that dignity and self respect still exist in our slave like society.If at this moment our nation bestow their heads in front of dictator then it will again promote mafia cluture in our society. our judicial system and some media men have already contributed his part and now suffering physical torture from the establishment.Time has come that students and civil society should be united against this ruling mafia group.
the statement is great. keep up the coalition-building!
one point of disagreement though :the statement says that "our demands in sum are aimed to ensure that the people of Pakistan are empowered through a free and fair election process, in order to move national development and progress forward."
i would not link empowerment only to "democracy" and then reduce democracy to free and fair elections. this is precisely why people feel disillusioned with democracy becaue they think it's all about elections, then they think about corrupt parties, and then they think, naah, musharraf is better.
we instead need to focus on the substantive content of democracy: justice, accountability, liberty, separation of powers etc. and stress that democracies are achieved through citizens voice and participation.
how can anybody join student action committee?How about a forum?
what students are doing for the restoration of judiciary or against the musharaf rigime is good but it will more than good if they voice against the system i.e. "doctrine of nessasity". this law is root cause of all problems. Also question politicians about what have they done in their previous rules. thanks.
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