Mr Imran Khan Chairman PTI and his delegation including Secretary General Dr Arif Alvi, Mr Ali Zaidi, and Dr Ikramullah Khan a Pakistani surgeon from Las Vegas met a high powered Senate group under the leadership of Senator Harry Reid the Senate Majority Leader, Senator Dick Durbin who is Assistant Senate Majority Leader, Chairman Senate Foreign Relation Committee Senator Joe Biden, Chairman South Asia Committee Senator John Kerry, Senator Patty Murray Member Senate Appropriations Committee and Secretary of Senate Democratic Party Caucus, Senator Casey who is Member Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Senator Tom Harkin Member Senate Appropriations Committee. The meeting lasted one and a half hour.
Mr Imran Khan expressed his views that the current US policy of supporting a military dictator is contrary to American values. He insisted that the relationship should be between the people rather than between President Bush and Musharraf. Mr Khan said that PTI is struggling for the restoration of the judiciary and that Musharraf should resign as he is an illegal President. PTI wants a free and fair election to be held under a national caretaker government. Without restoration of the judiciary elections would be a farce. Mr Khan said that he is meeting lawmakers in the US Capital to make them aware of the real situation in Pakistan. He said that the current policy of the Bush administration is actually promoting terrrorism. Musharraf's indiscriminate bombardment of civilians in Waziristan, FATA and Swat is providing a fertile ground for terrorist recruitment.
After the meeting of the PTI with the entire Senate leadership Senator harry Reids office issued the following Press Release.
REID, PAKISTANI OPPOSITION LEADER DISCUSS FUTURE OF DEMOCRACY UNDER MUSHARRAF
Washington, DC—Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid met today with Imran Khan, a leading Pakistani opposition leader, to discuss the upcoming Pakistani elections and the future of democracy in Pakistan.Khan, a member of the Pakistani parliament, leads the Justice Movement party and expressed deep concern about the Pakistani judiciary.
Khan made it clear that Pakistan cannot have true democracy, or free and fair elections, without reinstating the head of the Supreme Court and the rest of the judges President Musharraf dismissed. He also believes that the February 18th parliamentary elections may be rigged, which would further undermine Pakistani democracy. “Today’s meeting made it even clearer that the United States must support the people of Pakistan rather than individuals in that nation’s government who oppose democracy,” Reid said. “I believe that the United States needs to look closely at the assistance we send to Pakistan. If President Musharraf does not allow full and free elections and does not restore freedoms, we need to consider reducing non-development aid to Pakistan.”
Reid recently sent President Bush a letter urging him to consider cutting off non-development aid to Pakistan unless President Musharraf reinstates the previous Supreme Court, restores all freedoms and allows a full investigation into the recent assassination of former Prime Minister Bhutto.
In today’s meeting, the group also discussed U.S. development assistance to Pakistan and the importance of ensuring that U.S. taxpayer dollars are helping the Pakistani people in areas like education and healthcare.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Imran meets Senate majority leader about judiciary
Thursday, January 24, 2008
LUMS Issues Report Urging U.S. To Demand Restoration of Judiciary
Washington, D.C. - The Rule of Law Project at the Lahore Universityof Management Sciences (LUMS) is issuing a report today entitled Defending Dictatorship: U.S. Foreign Policy and Pakistan's Struggle for Democracy. The report is co-authored by members of a delegation from the United States National Lawyers Guild and is the result of a ten-day fact-finding visit to Pakistan to assess the status of the judiciary and the prospect for fair elections in light of recent attacks on judicial independence. The report criticizes U.S. foreign policy in Pakistan, concluding that U.S. support for PresidentMusharaff and its failure to demand restoration of the deposed judges will have long-term negative impacts on the judiciary and the rule of law in Pakistan and damage regional safety and security.
The report also concludes that the upcoming elections are unlikely to meet international standards due to widespread systemic and structural problems, including pre-poll abuses and the failure to enforce existing election regulations. Additionally, the report addresses press freedom in Pakistan, noting that severe restrictions faced by all media, in particular the Urdu-language press, constitute a "serious threat" to Pakistan's democratic development.
"The independence of the judiciary is a cornerstone of a functioning democracy. The United States' support for a dictator and its failure to demand the reinstatement of the deposed judges is critically damaging demcratic development and threatening regional safety and security," stated Rule of Law Project Director Devin Theriot-Orr.
David Gespass, the Vice President of the National Lawyers Guild and the leader of the delegation, stated that "We intend to share the report with the American people and place it before our elected representatives to help effect a drastic change in U.S. policy towards Pakistan that emphasizes human rights and democracy as the only real means of reducing the threat of terrorism."
Professors Roger Normand and Justice (ret'd) Jawwad Khawaja of LUMS established the Rule of Law Project to serve as an academic clearinghouse for documentation and research regarding constitutionalism and the rule of law in Pakistan. The Project is developing a comprehensive report on the impacts of the PCO and seeking information from all lawyers and members of civil society who were arrested, detained, or mistreated following the PCO.
PLEASE DISTRIBUTE WIDELY.
We are especially seeking to get this report into the hands ofelected representatives and members of the press in Europe duringMusharraf's European tour.
* Report available here: http://dtto.net/rlp/Defending_Dictatorship.pdf
* Full Press Release (with photo) available here: http://dtto.net/rlp/PressRelease.pdf
* Signon statement available here: http://nlg.org/pakistan
Thanks for your assistance.
Devin Theriot-Orr, Director, LUMS Rule of Law Project
Retired generals tell Musharraf to go
"This is in the supreme national interest and it makes itincumbent on him to step down," said a statement released late Tuesday to the media by the Pakistan Ex-Servicemen's Society, after a group meeting attended by more than 100 former generals, admirals, air marshals and other retired officers and enlisted men.
The call came as Musharraf, who was commander of the army until stepping down last month, was in Europe on a tour aimed at reassuring Western leaders about his ability to restore democracy and prevail in the escalating combat between government troops and Taliban rebels along Pakistan's mountainous border with Afghanistan.
The group of former generals does not speak for serving officers, but its tough stance is an embarrassment to Musharraf whose popularity has waned considerably in the past year.
It could strike a chord within the army's current ranks —which are forbidden from expressing political opinions —over how a once-respected institution has lost a lot of support among the wider public as Musharraf's personal standing has eroded over his maneuvering to stay in power.
This fall, the U.S.-backed president purged the Supreme Court, which could have scuppered his recent re-election,and briefly suspended the constitution, setting back expectations of a restoration of democracy.
"The feeling was unanimous and strong among the (retired) officers and other ranks that Musharraf is the problem and that he is a source of divisiveness, a source of centrifugal forces and an impediment to democracy," saidTalat Masood, a retired general who is now a prominent political analyst.
"He is bringing down the reputation of the army, and undermining its support among the people which it needs in the war on terror," said Masood, who attended the meeting."He has brought disgrace on all ranks."
Musharraf, a top U.S. ally in its war on terrorism, led a military coup to seize power in 1999, but retired from the army before being inaugurated for a new five-year term as civilian president in November.
His successor as army chief, Gen. Ashfaq Kayani, is believed to remain loyal to the president. The continued support of the military — which has ruled Pakistan for morethan half of its 60 years as an independent nation — is essential for Musharraf to remain in power.
The Bush administration has continued to praise the former general, saying he is committed to restoring democracy through parliamentary elections scheduled for Feb. 18.
Kayani has moved quickly to disengage the army from politics. He has banned officers from maintaining contacts with politicians, and ordered the more than 3,000 officers now serving in the civil administration and government-run enterprises to gradually revert to their military duties.
Kayani has been praised by U.S. officials as an aggressive commander who has shown he is determined to restore law andorder to the border regions that have served as a haven for Taliban and al-Qaida fighters.
On Tuesday, Adm. William Fallon — the head of the U.S.Central Command and top commander of American forces in theMiddle East — held talks in Rawalpindi with Kayani. ThePakistani army said the two men discussed the "security situation" in the region, but gave no more details.
In the latest violence, suspected militants attacked a military camp in the frontier region with rockets and small-arms fire Wednesday, killing three soldiers andwounding several others, a military statement and securityofficials said. The strike against Razmak Fort in SouthWaziristan came a day after fighting that left seven troops and 37 militants dead.
Meanwhile, a suspected suicide bomber was killed and five people were injured in an explosion in Jamrud, a tribal area close to Peshawar, said Khan Dad, a local government officer. The bomb went off in a market in the village ofWazir Dand, he said.
"We think he was carrying the bomb somewhere when it exploded," Khan said.
In its statement, the Ex-Servicemen's Society said its members had been watching "events in the recent past withgreat concern and anguish," according to the Dawn newspaper.
Tuesday's meeting brought together retired commanders ofall political stripes, the daily said. It included hard-liners such as Javed Ashraf Qazi, the former head of Pakistan's feared Inter-Services Intelligence, and liberal reformists like Air Marshals Asghar Khan and Nur Khan.
"Kayani has made it very clear that army has to keep away from politics and the affairs of the state," Mirza Aslam Beg, who was chief of army staff from 1988 to 1991, told The Associated Press.
"He has realized the sentiments of the people of Pakistan that they do not want the army to intervene and take decisions on their behalf."
___
Associated Press writers Bashirullah Khan in Miran Shah,Ishtiaq Mahsud in Dera Ismail Khan, Riaz Khan in Peshawar,and Slobadan Lekic in Islamabad contributed to this report.
Open Letter to Najam Sethi
(Note: The Letter was written on Nov 7, 2007 but most of the issues discussed are still relevant.)
Dear Mr. Najam Sethi,
I never had any illusions about your democratic credentials after having gone through your editorials in Friday Times and later Daily Times for the last 8 years in your capacity as the self appointed spokesperson and advisor to General Musharraf and the GHQ. I was familiar with your jugglery and frequent 180 degrees somersaults, but your editorial of Nov 5 in Daily times "Wages of confrontation" still took me by surprise and I was really dismayed and disappointed at your audacity to justify the martial law proclaimed by General Musharraf on Nov 3. In this editorial you have summarily accused the lawyers, judiciary, journalists and political parties as confrontationists, who have brought us to the present state of emergency. This single editorial deserves that you are nominated as his official speech writer given your expertise at rephrasing the speech of General Musharraf, perhaps more eloquently. The reward for your services was very quick: the owner of daily times was appointed as a minister in the new caretaker cabinet and some crumbs might be thrown to you personally as well in the near future. You have chosen to apply the most infamous logic of General Musharraf by accusing the victim like he did in the case of Mukhtaran Mai and accused Pakistani women of staging rape cases to get immigration to Canada. You conveniently forgot the role of the present military regime in bringing Pakistan to the status of one of the most corrupt and dangerous countries of the world, keeping its vast majority illiterate and poor and subjecting them to draconian laws.
The crux of your argument is that the civil society does not realize the importance to fight extremism in the country and was creating impediments for General Musharraf to fight the war against terror and deserved the punishment meted out to them. Despite galloping US$10 bln in direct US aid in the last seven years, rescheduling of loans by the international financial institutions and a few more billions in covert aid, what has the military regime done against terrorism. It has brought terrorism from inside Afghanistan to tribal areas, then settled areas of NWFP and now up to Islamabad. How has it facilitated it. First by keeping the mainstream parties out of 2002 elections, delivering two provinces to MMA by recognizing the sanads issued by Madrassas, letting the extremists take shelter inside tribal areas and regroup and refusing to purge extremists from its intelligence agencies who had been able to infiltrate in the armed forces during long years of training Jihadis against the Soviets and later developing Taliban. Is the militant Islamic ideology godfathered by Military inadvertently or as a counterweight to undermine democratic political forces and use it both inside Pakistan against democracy and also for its intervention in India and Afghanistan?
Secondly for quite some time now you had successfully introduced highly confusing and misplaced terms of transition and transformation in the political jargon through your newspapers. Under transition you advocated extension of PML (Q) status to some more liberal secular political parties like PPP, who could be forced to join a Government under General Musharraf without demanding any major structural or policy changes by the military regime and providing it desired legitimacy and termed the position taken by the democratic movement for fair and free elections, sending the armed forces back to barracks (and focusing on fighting terrorism) and supremacy of constitution and law as an extremist position. These genuine democratic forces were called transformationists/confrontationsts, who were unaware of the ground realities of military domination in the society and instead of realizing that the primary conflict in Pakistan is not between civil and military forces but between liberals and fundamentalists, these forces are bent to destabilize the country and bring about a revolution. This statement and understanding has serious flaws. What you call transformation is by no means a revolutionary demand, it is very much a democratic demand advocated today by all civil society forces except a few opportunists like PML (Q), MQM and some individuals like you. It takes us back to 1988, not any farther, as the protagonists of this demand are mainstream political parties who do not want any revolutionary changes and are content by restoration of constitutional rule in the country. Permanent displacement of armed forces from politics and confining them to their constitutional role may be the dream of many, but is not a realistic goal given the lack of such an organization which can spearhead such a movement. Only a civilian leadership can fight the scourge of fundamentalism with appropriate use of armed forces and not otherwise. Today all political and civil society organizations are united that the only negotiations with the military regime can be for the exit strategy for Musharraf and the whole nation is backing the joint leadership of Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Shareef. It is very much clear to everyone that contrary to what Mr. Najam Sethi would like people to believe, General Musharraf is a dictator who never wanted any genuine sharing of power with any genuine political party and the assumption that he would have doffed his uniform if the courts did not press him is false and a blatant lie. CJ Iftikhar Chaudhry sensed the possibility of martial law and did not form a full bench to hear the case of Gen. Musharraf and excluded three anti-Musharaff judges to be members of the bench, thus trying to defuse the situation, but Musharraf was not ready to take any chance and preferred to topple the judiciary.
You have always highlighted the corruption under the civilian regimes and completely ignored the state of corruption under Musharraf. Even in the satire columns you have always targeted the political leadership by ridiculing them. The only column on Musharraf does not ridicule Musharraf, it targets President Bush. This is your true face: joining the hated military ruler against popular civilian leaders. I have not seen any of your columns on the corruption cases under the Musharraf regime. You fail to take note of the annual report of Transparency International in 2006, which declared Musharraf regime to be more corrupt than both Nawaz Shareef and Benazir Bhutto at the index of 63% against 48% for Benazir and 34% for Nawaz Shareef. It is due to journalists like you who have served the military rulers by black outing their corruption and focusing your entire energies on the civilian leadership and thus perpetuating military rule.
We kept on hearing about Transparency International throughout 1990's, however reference to their reports completely disappeared during the present regime. I am sure you know that more than half of our revenues goes to defence and the lack of accountability and massive corruption in various defence establishments at all levels remains unreported. You for obvious reasons failed to pay tribute to the glorious movement of lawyers for the supremacy of judiciary. Instead you have complained about the suo moto notices of CJ against the inefficient, corrupt government officials who deny to serve the people and provide them any relief. Was it wrong to provide justice to Munoo Bheel, who was oppressed by his feudal masters with the active connivance of police and provincial government of Sindh headed by the infamous Arbab. Was it wrong to provide some justice to the thousands missing persons from Balochistan and other provinces. CJ simply demanded that if there are cases against them these people should be persecuted through the law and courts and not held by intelligence agencies indefinitely. One could expect that you are sympathetic to such people abducted by the agencies without charges.
I can understand the ire of military rulers and bureaucrats on Judiciary, but I did not know that they caused sleepless nights to you, who himself underwent similar experience in the previous regime and cannot forget it. Obviously Mr. Sethi does not like the Judiciary to interfere in any constitutional matters such as the dual offices of President and COAS, return of Nawaz Shareef or ruling PCO to be against the constitution. Now even Musharraf admits that it was an illegal and extra constitutional step. But Mr. Sethi, you have decided to be more loyal to the king than he himself is.
You have also conveniently forgotten to mention two of the darkest days in the recent history of Pakistan: May 12 and Oct 18, when citizens of Pakistan were killed mercilessly by known actors. Suo moto notices by the supreme and high courts were about to disclose the faces of people behind these carnages and it is one of the primary reasons why Judiciary was attacked so vehemently. Now the sole criterion of selection of Judges is just one: compliance to the orders of an authoritarian executive.
Lastly you never fail to praise the present military regime with the outstanding performance of economy in the last 7 years. You are obviously aware that from 1999-2002 the economy grew at just 2.5% and it was only after 9/11 and the massive rescheduling of loans, channeling of huge funds of more than US$10 bln by the US alone and remittances of US$5bln each year by overseas Pakistanis due to uncertainty in the West has helped Pakistan keep floating. Musharraf regime has not contributed a single kilowatt in the national energy grid forcing citizens and the industry to face long hours of load shedding, there has been no trickle down effect of these remittances on the majority of Pakistanis who are barely surviving the wave of unemployment and inflation. Pakistan remains one of the most underdeveloped countries with mass illiteracy, lack of health care and is found at the bottom of list on all social indicators at No. 138. It is the only country in the world which shares a military dictatorship with Myanmar. Major terrorist activities world wide are somehow linked with Pakistan and everyone visiting abroad knows the worth of a Pakistani passport.
In such dismal times, it really takes courage to praise the present regime which has got Pakistan to the bottom of its prestige. It has managed to stay in the world headlines mainly due to your President's penchant for negative popularity.
I know it will not be possible for you to publish this letter in your newspaper given your own authoritarian tendencies, but let it be known what some of your readers think about your journalism.
Nadeem Khalid
Letter from a student at GIK
(The following is a moving account from a student of GIK (Ghulam Ishaq Khan) Institute, where an airforce plane crashed yesterday, killing the pilot and a gardner. Though unrelated directly, to any aspect of the crises our country faces today, it is a compelling reflection of the existential angst that so many of our fellow citizens are faced with in these dark times.)
Today, there was an incident here that substantially changed my way of thinking. A Pakistan Airforce trainer plane crashed inside GIKI premises today. The pilot and a gardener died on the spot. There was no other loss of life or property. Further analysis (and some witness reports) revealed that the trainee pilot's quick thinking had prevented loss of 300+ lives and damage to faculty buildings. The pilot, instead of ejecting from the plane when he knew it was going to crash, maneuvered the plane and kept it on the (narrow) road away from the buildings and places nearby, where students hang out during the day. Had he ejected from the plane, he would most probably have survived but the crash site was surrounded by buildings in which 300+ people were working/studying at the time, a lot would have been lost. In short, he sacrificed his life to prevent loss of other lives.
It is incidents such as these that force you to think about...well, about everything. And this time it got me thinking about his selfless act. It is only the leader of the Pakistan Army, who had lowered the army in the eyes of the civilian population. Whereas the truth of the matter is that our army, is willing to sacrifice for the country. They stand ever-ready, to defend our homeland from any harm.
It also made me think that It is really not a leader who makes all the difference. This single man had saved 300+ lives. It made me realize that every-day people can also be heroes. They can also do big things. And they can make a difference. If the pilot would have started blaming the engineers and the government for old planes with mechanical faults, there would not have been enough time for him to think and act as he did. We are too lazy and love to put the blame on others.
From now on, I resolve to change my lifestyle to favor growth and prosperity of Pakistan. I resolve to be honest, devoted and respectful and to deliver what I promise. May Allah grant me the strength to do so. Maybe one day I will be a hero and I will make a difference. Until then, I live on in the hope that the day will soon come.
Lastly, I salute the pilot, for his selfless act. May Allah rest his soul in peace. Amen.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Engaging with Political Parties - Detailed Account of A talk organized by the CCP at LUMS
LUMS, JUNE 22nd: A long and engaging talk was organized at LUMS by "Concerned Citizens of Pakistan", a civil society organization, galvanized into action in the aftermath of the imposition of emergency on November 3. The arrangement was unusual in that the CCP had booked an auditorium at LUMS – only those on the SACLUMS mailing list were invited. So many outsiders came in that most students, like myself, had to keep standing. The talk will be aired by Aaj TV (we weren't told exactly when), although with some modifications because the whole thing would violate the new censorship laws. The talk went on so long that I must admit that my account cannot do justice to all its twists and turns.
The Talk was titled: "Importance of rule of Law for society" A CCP representative opened the show, after which Talat Hussain conducted its proceedings. The talk started with Dr. Pervez Hassan, a representative of the lawyers' movement(also a trustee of LUMS). He was sitting in lieu of Tariq Hassan, who couldn't come but had sent a 12-page paper to Dr.Hassan so that his position may be represented. Dr. Hassan's speech focused around the need for upholding the constitution and restoring the judiciary. He also said that the Lawyer's Movement had not ended: it will pick up strength once again, after the elections.
The second speaker was a member of Tehrike Insaf, Ahsan Rasheed. He said that when they were founding their party, many years ago, they had chosen the idea of Rule of Law as their party slogan, even though it wasn't fashionable back then. Every idea had a time and now the time for this idea had come. He felt that Musharraf was dragging Pakistan on the path to authoritarianism like Islam Karimov, Husni Mubari and Robert Mugabe have done elsewhere in the third world. He also stated that, in the coming general elections, he expected a maximum turnout of 10 to 15% ( I feel like placing a bet against him :-) His other concern besides uphold the judiciary's cause was to save the federation.
Justice(r.) Fakhrunnisa Khokhar spoke on behalf of PPP because all other senior PPP members had turned down the invitation. After paying rich tribute to the lawyers' movement (she, herself, was badly beaten up on Nov 5), she said that her party believed in contesting the elections and then championing the cause of the judiciary. She said that within the river there is a whirlpool - to bring change one had to jump into it; it couldnt be done from the outside.
Next spoke Chaudhry Ahsan Iqbal of PML-N, perhaps the most impressive speaker in the house. He told us that he had come all the way from his campaigning activities in Narowal to address this gathering because of the respect he had come to develop for the civil society of Pakistan and for LUMS. (After the event, he declined my request for an interview because he couldn't spare time from his campaigning.) He congratulated civil society for finally waking up and standing for the cause of Pakistan. He said that the best thing that had ever happened to Pakistan was this: people would not even bother so much as to go and cast their votes are now fighting the battle for Pakistan and facing jails. He said that societies have survived with poverty and ignorance but never without laws. He added that the law is the shield of the poor against oppression because the rich can protect themselves by other means like money and influence, but the poor can only seek the law's help. It is particularly impressive that today the elite is coming out to protect the shield of the poor – the law. He announced that PML-N candidates would publicly take an oath on Feb 5 to pledge support for the cause of restoring the judiciary after getting elected. He concluded by saying that he had looked at the CCP's objectives and, for a moment, he thought it was his own party's manifesto (there is much truth in this statement, by the way.)
Hamid Khan was the last speaker of the house. He bagan by prasing the lawyers' movement and, in particular, Justice Khwaja, the Head of LUMS Law School (my school!) who resigned in protest against the humilating treatment met out to the Chief Justice. Hamid Khan's key addition to the discourse was his contention that if the Parliament was to restore the judiciary, it would be an insult to the judiciary, becasue the judiciary was not just above the executive but also above the legislature. The judiciary, therefore, had to be restored before the elections.
The Q and A session was long, heated and colourful. Most of the questions attacked the politicians, alleging that the political parties were corrupt, colluding with the army and betraying the people and the cause of rule of law. At times, the booing and jeering got so loud that Talat Hussain had to intervene reminding this very educated audience that democracy entailed giving others a chance to, at least, state their argument. In general, the speakers tried to clear the parties' position on various issues. Ahsan Iqbal from PML-N managed to answer almost all questions quite gracefully because, after all, his party's current manifesto is based upon the civil society's slogans. He did face trouble when somebody mentioned the assault on the Supreme Court during Nawaz Sharif's second term in office. He replied by saying that it was party blown out of proportions by the agencies and, partly, a mistake. Talat Hussain intervened saying that he had been present at that event and was convinced that the Sharif government was involved.
Justice Fakhrunnisa from PPP, on the other hand, had a harder time and, by the end of it, she had almost reached breaking point. Her best rebuttal to all of this criticism against PPP was her continual referral to the fact that she, and countless other PPP workers, also braved atrocities to stand with the cause of rule of law. It reminded me of Nov 5: at the High Court protest , we were hiding from the charging police batallion, along with Dr. Pervez Hassan and others. Outside, Fakhrunnisa Khokhar, the old lady was, true to her word, was suffering police brutality, amidst choking levels of tear gas. The audience, however, had not seen those scenes. In the close comfort of PICIC hall, they mercilessly grilled her, making it clear that they were disgusted with the PPP's deal-making politics in the recent past, and the PML-N's similar conduct in the years before Musharraf.
Aasim Sajjad, a LUMS professor, and Athar Minallah, a lawyer and activist, reminded the audience that the future of democracy is inextricably linked to politics, politicians and political parties. In the past, the army has systematically maligned politicians, assuming for itself the role of the messiah. By its sceptical and contemptuous attitude, the civil society today is again falling into the same trap. If democracy is to survive in this country, we must all learn to respect politics and politicians and realize that political parties are, after all, comprised of politician wo are from amongst us, and, just like us, they are prone to human errors. It is by engaging empathetically with them and by trying to help them in bringing positive change that we can contribute to the country's future. By contemptuosly dismissing them, we are only easing the army's path, leading to the destruction of this country.
The Faez Isa lecture on 'You and the Constitution'
Friday, 25 th January 2007, at 6 p.m.
Venue: Shirkat Gah Office, Meeting Room (1st Floor), 2 Bath Island Road , Parin Lodge, (near Bridge Store) Karachi.
Our Constitution hasn't been much help to us lately, has it?
In fact, it hasn't been of any help for most citizens for most of our history – the reality just hit us when projected on private TV channels.
How do we prevent our country being run like a private corporation sans transparency and accountability, to profit the few at the cost of the public?
How does the constitution protect our sovereignty? For that matter, how can we be sovereign if the commons, public goods, public property and other national assets are unduly privatized and re-colonised?
What is or should be a constitutional stand on labour, natural resources, women, the marginalised, the minorities, the poor, equal rights and opportunities, and the re-distribution of wealth ?
Was the Constitution rendered meaningless when the dispensers of justice were arbitrarily dispensed with, and obstructed from participating in the electoral process?Is revolution the only answer?
These and other questions will be answered and discussed at an Info and Q&A session with Qazi Faez Isa, Barrister-at-Law andAdvocate, Supreme Court of Pakistan.
Organised by The Green Economics & Globalization Initiative, SHIRKAT GAH in collaboration with the PEOPLE'S RESISTANCE.
We urge you to come, inform yourself, ask questions, and raise your issues.
Two leading Pakistani lawyers to receive 3rd Asian Human Rights Defender Award
Today, January 23, 2008, the Board of Directors of the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is pleased to announce that it has decided to grant its 3rd Asian Human Rights Defender Award jointly to Muneer Malik, former President of the Pakistan Supreme Court Bar Association, together with his successor, Choudhry Aitezaz Ahsan.
The award is in recognition of the historic leadership role that the lawyers of Pakistan have had in fighting against military dictatorship there during the past year, spearheading the protests against General Pervez Musharraf's unconstitutional removal and illegal confinement of Chief Justice Iftekhar M. Chaudhary on 9 March 2007.
The lawyers' movement has attracted interest and immense support of people from all walks of life in Pakistan and the scheme to remove the chief justice was thwarted, although he was again illegally removed from his post, along with 55 other senior judges, including 13 from the Supreme Court, when Musharraf seized power through an unconstitutional declaration of emergency rule at the end of the year.
The lawyers, judges and others of Pakistan have been making great sacrifices to defend the independence of their judiciary as a last bastion against the otherwise unchallenged power of the military. This struggle is continuing today.
The 3rd Asian Human Rights Defenders Award is thus awarded to these two leading lawyers both in recognition of their personal sacrifices as well as to them as representatives of the entire people's movement against dictatorship in Pakistan.
For his leading role in fighting against the removal of the chief justice and promoting the struggle for an independent judiciary, Muneer Malik was arrested and drugged, causing him to suffer renal failure. He is still recovering today.
Choudhry Aitezaz Ahsan has been kept under detention since the emergency was imposed on 3 November 2007. The two lawyers' leadership, courage and unswerving commitment to their profession, their integrity and their country are strongly symbolic of their cause.
In them we acknowledge and award all of the lawyers, judges and others who have refused to bow down to the immoral pressure of military force, including all of those dismissed from their posts and kept in their houses. They stand today as the representatives of civilised society and institutional commonsense in Pakistan, in stark contrast to the barbarism and primitive feudal order represented by Musharraf and his allies.
By making this award we also again emphasise that the international community is obliged to support the people of Pakistan at a time that they are faced with the very real threat of being subjected to the sole authority of a merciless and self-interested executive authority. We call upon others to join with us in open expression of support for these lawyers and their struggle.
ABOUT THE ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER AWARD
The Asian Human Rights Commission recognises that human rights and liberties are expanded most by persons willing to make a sacrifice in the defence of these principles. Society is obliged to recognise and honour such sacrifices. For these reasons it has chosen to present awards to human rights defenders at opportune moments. Nominees must be exemplary human rights defenders with whom--or on behalf of whom--the AHRC has worked intensely over some time, and for whom the symbolic act of receiving the award will be significant. Nominations may be submitted to the AHRC executive director by anyone, at any time. The Board of Directors reserves the exclusive right to accept or reject any nomination.
The inaugural AHRC Human Rights Defender Award was presented to Michael Anthony Fernando in 2003, in recognition of his struggle for basic freedoms in Sri Lanka. Fernando served a nine-month jail term for contempt of court arising from a fundamental rights case in the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka. He was jailed because of his determination to uphold principles of liberty with an uncommon sense of courage, seriousness and self-sacrifice. The UN Human Rights Committee ultimately held that his imprisonment was a violation of his rights under international law. See further: http://campaigns.ahrchk.net/tonyfernando.
The second Human Rights Defenders Award was made posthumously to Somchai Neelaphaijit, a lawyer from Thailand, for his work on behalf of torture victims as a result of which he was abducted and forcibly disappeared by a group of police officers who have never been punished. The award was made in recognition both of his work as well as the emerging movement in Thailand, led by Somchai's wife, Angkhana, to acknowledge and establish a system of accountability relating to disappearances in Thailand. See further: http://campaigns.ahrchk.net/somchai.
Canadian, Dutch and Hong Kong lawyers conclude that Emergency Measures are illegitimate
A Joint Statement by the Lawyers Rights Watch Canada (LRWC) , the Dutch Lawyers for Lawyers Foundation (L4L) and the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC)
Lawyers Rights Watch Canada (LRWC), the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) and the Dutch Lawyers for Lawyers Foundation (L4L) call for:
The immediate unconditional release of all jurists arrested under preventative detention measures, including: Aitzaz Ahsan, President of the Supreme Court Bar; Chief Justice Iftikhar Choudhry, removed from office by the Musharraf regime; Ali Ahmed Kurd; Justice (retired) Tariq Mahmood and others.
Strict adherence by the State and state officials to all Pakistan laws in force prior to November 3, 2007 and to applicable international standards protecting the independence of lawyers and judges including those embodied in the UN Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyersand the Basic Principles on the Independence of the Judiciary.
Strict adherence by the State and state officials to all Pakistan laws and to applicable international standards governing the humane treatment of prisoners, including the universal non-derogable prohibition against torture and denial of due process;
The immediate re-instatement of and adherence to the Constitution of the Republic or Pakistan and The rescission of all laws that came into force under the authority of the Proclamation of Emergency Declaration of November 3, 2007, the Provisional Constitutional Order No. 1 of 2007 and the Oath of Offices (Judges) Order, 2007 Reinstatement, prior to elections, of all judges removed from office subsequent to the Emergency Declaration and removal from office of judges appointed in their stead on conditions that are reasonable fair.
Judicial Independence
Judicial independence in Pakistan was effectively destroyed by recent measures taken by the Musharraf regime. The resulting absence of an independent judiciary violates the fundamental duty, accepted as jus cogens and binding on Pakistan, to afford at all times, including during legitimate states of emergency, "all the judicial guarantees which are recognized as indispensable by civilized peoples."
The non-derogability of judicial independence is a requirement of common sense and is also the foundation of all international and domestic human rights and humanitarian law and is secured by many instruments including all four Geneva Conventions, (common article 3), Protocols I and II to the Geneva Conventions, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Basic Principles on the Role of Judges )
Without an independent judiciary, there can be neither free and fair elections nor trials in Pakistan. The thousands of charges laid in the aftermath of the murder of Benazir Bhutto cannot be lawfully determined unless and until judges removed in November are reinstated and proper safeguards of their independence are recognized by the government of Pakistan. Proclamation of Emergency fails to meet UN legitimacy test and violates the law LRWC, the ALRC and L4L reiterate earlier statements (November 5th, 6th, 13th, 26th and 29th) condemning as a violations of both Pakistan law and of international laws and standards binding on Pakistan:
a) the suspension of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan; and,
b) the Proclamation of Emergency of November 3, 2007; and,
c) the Provisional Constitutional Order No. 1 of 2007; and,
d) the Oath of Offices (Judges) Order, 2007; and,
e) the arrest, detention and removal from office of jurists suspected of opposing violations of the law by the Musharraf regime.
To be lawful and legitimate the imposition, duration and removal of emergency measures by Pakistan or any other state, must meet the 10-principle test of the United Nations standards. The Proclamation of Emergency of November 3, 2007 fails to meet all 10 of the UN criteria for legitimate emergency measures: the emergency measures declared in Pakistan on November 3, 2007 fails to meet the tests regarding legality, proclamation, notification, time limitation, existence of exceptional threat, proportionality, non-discrimination, compatibility, concordance and complementarity with international law and preservation of non-derogable rights.
Access to judicial safeguards of non-derogable rights remains an absolute requirement during emergency measures. Actions that compromise or destroy judicial independence, such as those taken by the Musharraf regime, render even emergency measures that meet UN standards, illegal. LRWC, the ALRC and L4L therefore take the position that all laws brought into force and all state actions taken in reliance on the legitimacy of the Proclamation of Emergency of November 3, 2007 must be considered as enacted and done without legal authority and therefore as null and the appropriate remedies must be taken to restore the law and redress violations.
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Lawyers Rights Watch Canada (LRWC) is a committee of Canadian lawyers who promote human rights and the rule of law internationally by providing support to lawyers and other human rights defenders in danger because of their advocacy. LRWC is an NGO in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. Earlier LRWC statements on Pakistan: www.lrwc.org/pub1.php
The Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) is a Hong Kong-based NGO with General Consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. The ALRC was founded in 1986 by a prominent group of jurists and human rights activists in Asia and is committed to the development of legal self-reliance and the empowerment of people. The Centre promotes the respect of human rights in the region through the strengthening of institutions of the rule of law, notably the police, prosecution and judiciary. It also seeks to strengthen and encourage positive action on legal and human rights issues by the bar and other legal bodies and personnel, at the local and national levels and to promote rights in the region through advocacy, research and publications, such as Article 2.
The Dutch Lawyers For Lawyers Foundation (L4L)('Stichting Advocaten voor Advocaten') is committed to enable lawyers, throughout the world, to practice law without improper interference and to this end, supports lawyers who are under threat or attack in the exercise of their profession while working for the protection of human rights. L4L, established in co-operation with the Dutch Bar Association, the Dutch affiliate of the International Commission of Jurists, and the Dutch Institute of Human Rights, regularly reports on the situation of human rights lawyers.
CONTACTS
Lawyers Rights Watch Canada, www.lrwc.org; lrwc@portal.ca; +1 604 738 0338
Asian Legal Resource Centre, Mr. Basil Fernando, Executive Director, Tel: +(852) - 2698-6339, alrc@alrc.net; www.alrc.net
The Lawyers for Lawyers Foundation, Ms. Judith Lichtenberg; +31 (0)6 11 30 6378, info@advocatenvooradvocaten.nl; http://www.advocatenvooradvocaten.nl
Massive anti-Musharraf protest in London
A massive protest is being planned against Musharraf in UK. All concerned, students, lawyers, civil societies, political party workers, etc. are invited to come to this protest. If you are in or around London on the 28th, please try to come. The plan is to bring people from all backgrounds holding the flags of their political parties or the flag of Pakistan in case you don't support any political party to represent the much united resistance movement against Musharraf. Please circulate this mail widely. As with any protest, numbers matter!
JOIN ASMA JEHANGIR, IMRAN KHAN, JEMIMA KHAN, PTI, PML-N, PPP, OTHERS AT DEMO OUTSIDE DOWNING STREET .
DEMO TO RESTORE JUDICIARY AND THE CONSTITUTION
RELEASE ALL POLITICAL PRISONERS
FREE THE MEDIA
HOLD FREE AND FAIR ELECTIONSON
Date: Monday January 28th 2008
Time: 11.30 AM
Location: 10 Downing Street, London, SW1A 2AA
Tube: Westminister Station
FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT : KHWAJA IMTIAZ 07886318577, SHAHID DASTGIR 07939114451 OR RABIA 07515 549541
CCP Convention in LUMS - account
The convention organized was an immense success. So many people showed up that we did not have seating place. Many were standing around or sitting on the floor or stairs in the auditorium. The next convention therefore will be organized in an even bigger hall. The attendance was over 200 people.
The convention began by Hamid Zaman addressing the audience and introducing the host, Talat Hussain. Following that, the panelist began by giving their viewpoint on the matter of the restoration of the judiciary. Retired Justice Fakhrunnisa from PPP and Ahsan Iqbal from PML-N both promised their party's commitment to the cause of the people. Retired Justice Fakhrunnisa declared her commitment to the struggle for the restoration of the judiciary, and stressed that after elections her party will do all in their power to get the judiciary restored. She said Benazir gave her life for the struggle of democracy, and democracy is not possible without the restoration of the judiciary. Hence, PPP will first and foremost work towards that.
Mr. Ahsan Iqbal declared the recent mobilization of the civil society and students as nothing less than marvelous. He said that throughout history, countries have survived poverty, hunger, illiteracy etc but never has any country survived without justice. He said that the lack of justive effects the poor and the middle classes the most, as they are unable to shield themselves from those with power. He declared that today, the civil society and the students have stepped forward to become that shield. He pointed to the historic nexus between the judge, the general and the Jageerdar and said that for the first time in the history of Pakistan, a judge dared defy this nexus and give hope to the desolute and oppressed masses. He said that Nawaz Sharif himself will administer an oath to ALL party nominees in front of the Public. This oath will profess the utmost commitment of each to the restoration of the judiciary and the constitution. He said that Pervaiz Musharraf insulted 160 million people in his address in Europe when he declared Pakistanis as undeserving of democracy, and that Pakistanis deserve it as much as any other country. He declared Musharraf as obsessed with power.
Mr. Hamid Khan, representing Mr. Tariq Hassan in the convention, began by historicizing the lawyer's movement. That it had begun since the first coup by Musharraf. He strongly denounced any system of which Musharraf was a part of, and added that when Benazir made a deal with Musharraf, it was a most painful moment in the lawyer's movement. He blamed this deal for the fact that Musharraf was able to remain on his seat post March 9. He therefore also denounced the current elections taking place under Musharraf's biased government. He also said that had all the parties boycotted elections from the beginning Musharraf would have been unable to retain any power and that Political parties should have only contested elections on the condition that Musharraf resign.
Dr. Parvaiz Hassan, representing Mr. Tariq Hassan in the convention, said that the so-called deposed judges are not under the law deposed. They are still legally the judges. He declared that the only solution to the problem of the repeated coups by the military is via recourse to the article 6 of the constitution. He said that Musharraf should be tried before the courts (once the judges have been reinstated de facto) for high treason. He also said that not only Musharraf but the PCO judges should also be held accountable. He stressed that unless this process of accountability begins in the country, there is no hope.
Mr. Ahsan rasheed representing PTI, stressed that these elctions are neither free nor fair. He emphasized the principled stance of his party in this regard. He said that his party now had an expanded electoral base, and stood to win many more seats, but purely on principles has decided to boycott the elections. He said that Imran Khan was offered to become part of the Musharraf government previously as well, but had refused each time.
The talk was very charged with emotions. A lot of people denounced Musharraf. Many also said that we will now hold the political parties equally accountable. PML-N and PPP were also questioned on judicial independence during their terms in power. Retd Justice Fakhrunnisa responded by saying that her party never deposed any judges. And Mr. Iqbal said that Nawaz Sharif was the first Prime Minister of Pakistan to ever present himself in front of the court. He, however, also stated that his party has learned from their past mistakes and was willing to improve hand in hand with the people. This was appreciated by many from the civil society that at least an acceptance and willingness to improve has been expressed. The general consensus of the convention was that Musharraf must immediately resign, that no power sharing agreement with him was acceptable and that the judiciary must be restored. PPP was also asked to give an official firm stance on the issue of the judiciary and to administer a similar oath as the PML-N. All politicians were asked to give an oath that if they are unable to restore the judiciary they will resign from politics.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Social Movements Assembly in Karachi
Network for Women's Rights and National Organization for Working Communities are jointly organizing a Social Movements Assembly for solidarity among the deprived and marginalized communities "to act together-to change the world for better" on Saturday, the 26th of January, at Arts Council of Pakistan, Karachi .
The topic of the assembly is The Social Movements for Rights and Justice in Pakistan: Need, Problems and Prospects. You are cordially invited to participate fully in the assembly.
Regards,
Farhat Parveen and Nigar Barkat
Registration 9:00am to 9:30am
First Session Part I 9:30-11:30
Guest of Honour: Justice (retired) Majida Razvi
Chair: Kaisar Bengali
Aims and Objectives of the Assembly Farhat Parveen
Introduction of Network for Women's Rights Nigar Barkat
Introduction of National Organisaiton for Working Communities Mir Zulfiqar Ali
Political Situation in Country Saleha Athar
Presentations of Movements
Urban Labour Movement Ghulam Mehoob
Peasants Movement Aqila Naz
Fisher Folk movement Tahira Muhammad Ali Shah
Minorities Movement Joe Paul
Tea Break 11:30-11:45
First Session Part II 11:45-12:30
Chair: Anis Haroon
Guest of Honour: Noor Naz Agha
Writers movement Zahida Hina
Teachers/lecturers movement Dr.Riaz Ahmed
Student movement Gul Hassan Jakhrani-
First Session Part III 12:30PM-1:15PM
Chair: Justice (R) Wajeehuddin
Guest of Honour: Shameem-ur-Rehaman
Journalists' movements Ehfaz ur-Rahman
Lawyers and judges Movement Justice (retd) Rasheed Rizvi
Doctors Movement Dr. Shershah Syed
Lunch Break 1:15-2:15
Second Session: Group discussions 2:15-3:00pm
Group Discussion among all representatives of different social movements Presentations from all groups. 1hour
Third Session: Work plan by joint working group 3:00pm-4:15pm
Concluding Remarks by I.A. Rahman 4:15-pm-4:30pm
Vote of Thanks Mehtab Akbar Rashidi
Rally for Peace and Democracy
Open Letter to Musharraf from BB's former Intelligence Chief
Dear Mr President,
Assalam alaikum.
The destructive events of 2007 cannot be wished away. The naked assault of your government on the judiciary, led by yourself from the front, on 09 March, 2007, triggered off a chain of events that need not be recounted. In short, Pakistan has been devastated all through 2007.
Pakistan lost an internationally recognised political and intellectual personality, namely, Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto on 27 December, 2007, to a murderous gun and bomb attack. Pakistan was reduced to paralysis in the aftermath of the tragic manner in which Pakistan’s most courageous political leader lost her life. The story does not end here. The adverse effects of this tragedy will continue to unfold in the days, months and years to come. I pray that ALLAH THE ALMIGHTY Blesses the soul of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto eternal peace of heavens. Amen.
The deplorable law and order situation in the country, in general, and the mishandling of the situation in our erstwhile peaceful tribal areas and other parts of the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) only add to the widespread belief in the country that you and your government has now become a huge part of the problem and is certainly not equal to the task of finding a solution to the gigantic problems faced by Pakistan. These problems have gained unimaginable dimensions through the years of your rule. While the Army and the paramilitary is deployed to fight in many parts of NWFP the police and the rangers etc are busy beating up the civil society in the city streets. Pakistan and Pakistanis are no longer at peace with each other.
Due to the events of 2007, and a lot more, the Pakistani nation that you desire to rule, with or without the nation’s consent, is now calling upon you to resign from the office of the President and thus make way for a smooth transition of political authority. Open any newspaper and this is the impression you shall gather.
This is an occasion to set things right. Mr President, the entire Pakistani Nation wants that you should not stand in the way leading to the evolution of a free and independent nation governed by systems, institutions and a free judiciary rather than by the whims of individuals. Pakistanis desire that you should now help bring this about through an announcement that you have, in principle, decided to resign and work for a smooth transition of power in the shortest possible stipulated period.
Sometimes one universally acclaimed and applauded act of an individual can wash off many acts of the same individual that may not have been popular. Mr President such a time, and an opportunity to go down in history in a respectable manner, is knocking at your doors. Such opportunities are always fleeting ones and if you open the door too late your opportunity may well have gone from your door leaving you stranded.
The people of Pakistan cannot now be stopped, through the misuse of State resources and the application of brute force, from achieving THE PAKISTANI DREAM which entails a free Pakistan for us all – from the common man to the President/Prime Minister. Pakistanis now want a Pakistan where law is the protector rather than being the tormentor of its own population.
Believe me, Mr President, this is not about you, it is about THE PAKISTANI DREAM coming true. We have waited 60 years for it. It did not come about from the rulers of those 60 years and that includes you. The PAKISTANI DREAM is now coming about from the efforts of the lawyers and the civil society. Let it come about in peace and harmony.
Someone will, inevitably, succeed you one day. Sooner or later, it is bound to happen. Why not now in a manner that is just right for the country. The moment belongs to you. Grasp it before it flies away.
Have you not, Mr President, seen pictures of those young Pakistanis protesting against your actions against the judiciary being beaten so ruthlessly? It is the State that you are heading that is beating its own children, my children as well as your children, Mr President. Collectively they all belong to us. They are our kith and kin. They are our blood and are also Pakistan’s future.
Protests will take place. Protests have to take place in any society. They will always take place and, therefore, governments in Pakistan will have to be more tolerant with dissent and if they cannot be then they should either do only the absolutely unquestionable things so that there is no need for anyone to protest OR they should resign and make way for others to succeed them.
You were magnanimous in offering your apology to GEO TV when it was attacked by the police and everyone liked that act of yours. You did that on air and live on the GEO TV network. Why not now also apologise to the lawyers and the children of Pakistan who have been severely beaten by the police etc since they started protesting for an independent judiciary.
Mr President, if you resign from your office now Pakistan and Pakistanis, throughout the country, will once again be at peace with each other.
Grasp the opportunity Mr President before it is gone and never presents itself again. What to talk of asking the people of Pakistan I ask you, personally, if you still remember a man by the name of General Zia ul Haq who was the Chief of The Army Staff for longer (13 years) than you were ? We, the people of Pakistan, do not remember General Zia ul Haq despite him having ruled us for over a decade. Do you? I hope I have made my point Mr President. History is important. Grasp the moment. The moment is yours. Answer to the call of the people of Pakistan. Live up to your own slogan “PAKISTAN FIRST”. Put Pakistan before your own self.
Yes, I know all this sounds naïve for anyone to so suggest. But tell me Mr President why not? Is it that you think Pakistan has no potential, whatsoever, that can govern it effectively and that you have to be at the helm forever, until eternity? What will happen when one day you have to, inevitably, leave? Is it that you feel that Pakistan will collapse should you hand over the reigns of the government to anyone else? What beats common sense is that why should you think like this at all?
Will not the USA see a change of President on 20 January, 2009, when the new President-elect will take oath? Will not Mr George Bush, who is the architect of the present very controversial US foreign policy and the two wars raging in Iraq and Afghanistan, have to leave the future of these wars and the future governance of the USA to his duly elected successor, whoever that may be?
Can George Bush say to the people of USA that there is still a lot of work left to be done in the war on terror, or whatever else, and that for the sake of continuity or for any other earthly or unearthly reason it is a must for him to remain in power after 20 January, 2009? There is no way, whatsoever, for such a happening. George Bush will have to fade into history on 20 January, 2009, and present himself to be judged by history itself.
Bill Clinton, given his very enviable national and international popularity, could easily have won more terms but he had to make way for the future. Tony Blair of UK, had three years of his third term left when he made way for Gordon Brown when things got bad for him. Mr President, systems and not individuals make nations unite and survive.
Consider Nelson Mandela who can still win elections over and over again. Yet, after just one term as President of South Africa, having earned it after years of struggle including 27 years in prison, he made way for his well groomed successor but is still treated as a Head of State all over the world. In fact he is treated more as royalty.
Mr President do something like that and earn a place in the annals of our history. Your example will become a precedent for others to follow.
Make way for the future rather than having respectable people like our lawyers and students beaten up ruthlessly on our streets. These are the truly enlightened people of Pakistan who supported you till you went wrong. These people will never damage a single plant while protesting. So why beat them so brutally? I assure you that there is no way any amount of baton charge can now deter these leaders of tomorrow.
On my part, I have seen State barbarism from a very close quarter. I have seen periods of house arrests and imprisonment for years. As a part of the injustices meted out to me I was, at one time, imprisoned in a room 8 ft by 10 ft with no windows and with my toilet in the same room for many weeks. I have borne the obnoxious accountability process for over 9 years after which I was told by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), in writing, that there is nothing against me at all. But can anyone give me my lost years back? I lost my Federal Secretary level job in 1997 to totally unjustifiable political victimisation. I was kept on the Exit Control List (ECL) from 1996 to 2006.
Even the HILAL-E-SHUJAAT, the second highest gallantry award in the country that I was duly awarded (refer to gazette of Pakistan Aug/Sep 1996) was shamelessly withdrawn. No law permits such a withdrawal but who is going to listen and do justice? In conclusion to one of my newspaper article I had said that “Nations that mistreat their own heroes someday, inevitably, have to pay a very dear price”.
I am the only Intelligence Chief of Pakistan, civil or military, who has ever been decorated for gallantry in the field of national security and has still been humiliated beyond description. The reason; a subjugated judiciary that could not come to my help!
Every minute of my victimisation of 15 long years I dreamt of a Pakistan with a free judiciary so people suffering like me could be protected against State barbarism. This is why today I stand openly, without let or fear, with those demanding a free and independent judiciary, a judiciary that can say NO to the Executive even if the Executive is in uniform.
My PROTECTOR AND GUIDE is ALLAH THE ALMIGHTY and the misused power of the State is nothing at all as compared to the power of THE ALMIGHTY ALLAH, in whom I trust completely. We will realise THE PAKISTANI DREAM - INSHA ALLAH. This PAKISTANI DREAM is our DREAM, make it yours too.
Mr President, on October 12, 1999, a large majority of Pakistanis, in fact, this very civil society that your Regime is now busy in beating up on the streets, gave you their goodwill in the earnest hope that you will usher in that new Pakistan for which now the students, lawyers and the civil society are striving. Has none of your advisors told you that the goodwill of the people of Pakistan that you initially enjoyed has long gone? Can you not see it for yourself Mr President?
The people of Pakistan were with you on the accountability process and the aspect of bringing about harmony within the country. Where these aspects pathetically stand today is not something I need to write about.
Like all Pakistani rulers you also could not make a team of genuinely efficient and motivated people to implement what you then wanted to implement. Your initial seven point agenda was very good and many Pakistanis gave you their support to implement it but over the years that agenda for harmony got lost somewhere in some cupboard.
Why does this happen to all those who hold the reigns of power in Pakistan? Why do you let the sycophants take over and ruin you and the country? There is indeed some curse in our palaces where sycophants always overcome the professional and patriotic Pakistanis.
When your era has ended all those you put in lucrative jobs will vanish quietly into a life of riches and no one will say a thing to them but you will be talked about in a bad vein for their misdeeds. They will distance themselves from you as if they have never known you. Why do all our rulers let this happen to them?
Pakistanis now seek that true freedom that they have longed for in the shape of The PAKISTANI DREAM which envisages us as the proud citizens of a Pakistan governed by systems and the national institutions rather than being ruled by a one man regime. Mr President, make way for The Pakistani Dream and become a part of it too. I urge you, and I am sure millions of Pakistanis would second me on this, to do the following:-
a. Announce that you have decided to resign and that you shall hand over power to a new President as soon as he is elected.
b. Announce that you shall meet all the political leaders within one week and, thereafter, will announce just one person as the consensus Prime Minister who will run the government through the existing bureaucratic structure and will have no Cabinet of useless Ministers. Also add that, thereafter, you shall recede into the background till the new President is elected and you finally hand over to him.
c. At this point, in time, also announce the revival of the judiciary to its 02 November,2007, position because this one step will bring about the lost confidence of the people of Pakistan and will also help give credibility to the whole process of the transition of political power.
d. That the new Prime Minister, independent of you, will appoint a new Election Commission, Chief Ministers and Governors.
e. That this new Prime Minister and the new Chief Election Commissioner will conduct a free, fair and impartial general elections within 90 days of taking office.
f. That during the three months in power the Prime Minister along with the revived judiciary will lay down the methodology for the effectiveness of the existing rules of business for all the government institutions so that once the new government takes charge there is never a transgression of one institution into the working of any other institution, civil or military.
g. That within one week of the new parliament coming into force the schedule for the election of a new President will be announced and once the new President is elected you shall hand over to him. The revived judiciary will give you immunity till this time i.e. when you actually hand over and leave. This can always be worked out amicably if we all put Pakistan ahead of our own selves.
I have suggested this smooth transition as compared to an abrupt transition so that the world starts looking at us as a civilised country and so that the country’s chances of plunging into anarchy are avoided. The option of immediately handing over to the Chairman Senate after announcing the new consensus Prime Minister is available for you to consider. However, I will still recommend that work on the smooth transfer of political authority should begin immediately and in right earnest.
The writing on the wall is written in large, capital and bold letters, Mr President. Failing to read the same will be very detrimental for Pakistan.
The moment belongs to you, Mr President, and the choice of bringing about a graceful and historic political change in Pakistan, or an ignominious one, is all yours.
My prayer to ALLAH THE ALMIGHTY is to give you the strength to make the right decision which can only be to make way for the future in the most graceful manner.
Best regards,
Sincerely,
Masood Sharif Khan Khattak
Peshawar, NWFP,
Pakistan
Amnesty International urges Europe to resist Musharraf
Government and Business Leaders Meeting Outlaw Dictator PervezMusharraf Must Address the Human Rights Crisis in Pakistan.
HRF: http://www.JusticeForum.info
(InformPress.com) - Amnesty International urges all governments andbusiness leaders meeting Pakistani Tyrant Pervez Musharraf in Europe this week to call for an end to the human rights violations which have continued despite the lifting of the illegal State of Emergency last month.
"Arbitrary arrests and detentions, enforced disappearances, and torture and ill-treatment -- coupled with pervasive political violence undermine the prospect of free and fair elections planned in February[2008]," said Amnesty International's Secretary General, Irene Khan.
An Amnesty International delegation which spent the last month in thec ountry documented a worsening human rights crisis.
"Amnesty International has collected a wealth of evidence on human rights violations and the breakdown of rule of law, which are sowing the seeds of a political catastrophe, with devastating consequences for ordinary people," continued Ms. Khan.
Pakistani Dictator, Pervez Musharraf, begins his week-long visit to Europe on Monday where he will meet, among others - the European Union (EU) High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and French President Nicholas Sarkozy - as well as attending the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
"As Musharraf embarks on a tour of Europe to garner political and economic support, those who meet him have both the responsibility and opportunity to demand that his government bring to an end the human rights violations that have characterized the recent period of Pakistan's history, including by immediately restoring the independence of the judiciary," said Ms. Khan.
Amnesty International is urging the Government of Pakistan to:
- End arbitrary arrests and detentions, enforced disappearances, ill-treatment, politically-motivated criminal prosecutions, civil proceedings against or harassment of politicians, human rights defenders, journalists, media workers and other members of civil society.
- Stop the use of "blind First Information Reports" - police complaints in which the suspect is unidentified - a practice whichallows the government to harass and detain political opponents.
- Restore the independence of the judiciary by returning to serviceall judges removed during emergency rule.
- Respect the right to freedom of expression and information, and theright to peaceful assembly. At rallies or other mass gatherings, law enforcement officials must comply with international standards, and in particular should not use force unless strictly necessary and only to the minimum extent required.
- Conduct full and independent investigations into political assassinations, including that of Benazir Bhutto, and other unlawful killings and suicide attacks, and make public the findings.
"The international community must give a clear and unequivocal message to Musharraf that restoring respect for human rights and the rule of law is key to establishing confidence in the forthcoming elections and arresting the spate of political violence in Pakistan," said Ms. Khan.
[Amnesty International works daily to protect human rights worldwide. Sunday, 20 January 2008 - London, UK.]
Update on Student Action Committee-US activities
We are very proud to inform you that a SAC-USA chapter has been formed. Below are its activities for the next few weeks. Please go through it, and forward any suggestions.
I wanted to give you update of our activities in US.
SAC-Us has eight core members (six current students and two recent alumnus)in four different areas; Nothern VA/DC, Philadelphia, Boston and New York City. Our short term activities are as follows:
1. We participated in Washington-Pakistan Forum meeting on Jan 18th in Washington, DC where a number of organizations were represented. Some of them are AIUSA (Amnesty International USA), ABA (American Bar Association), CPJ (Community for Protection of Journalists), Dawn News, Daily TImes News, PTI, PALC (Pakistani American Leadership Committee) and introduced everyone to the activities of SAC-Lahore, Islamabad and US.
2. We have participated and will participate in all the Pakistan related talks/conferences/seminars in different think tanks in Washington, DC and elsewhere (e.g. SAIS, CSIS, MEI). We make sure that our point of view is heard in the question and answer session.
3. We will be meeting with PTI on Wednesday to sign a memorendum of understanding demanding their role in democratic process inside or outside the parliament. We will also be meeting with PPP representatives during next week.
4. During the next two weeks almost 5 campuses will be holding an awareness raising event. The primary objective of it will be to apprise students at US universities of current political situation in Pakistan. The event will also be used to introduce students to SAC-Lahore and Islamabad and its activities followed by a talk. We will be very happy to add whatever you want to send us to add to this presentation.
5. Following the event, we will hold protests in all the represented cities against 'elections without judiciary and independent election commission and interim government.
6. We will participate in an advocacy event on Capitol Hill along with other organizations like Amnesty International. The event is tentatively being planned for first or second week of February.
7. We are also thinking of setting up a committe/getting endorsement from different international organizations.
I also want to reiterate that you guys are doing great work. Your work is truly an inspiration for all of us. Establishment of SAC-USA is one consequence of it.
Together, we can
Ghazia,
SAC- USA
CCP Convention at LUMS
Concerned Citizens of Pakistan (CCP) is having a Convention on "RESTORATION OF JUDGES and DEMOCRACY" at PICIC Hall, LUMS on Tuesday 22nd January, 2008 at 530 pm.
The objective of the Convention is to present an intellectual foundation for the restoration of judges before the reps of two main political parties (PPP and PML(N)). The political parties will then present their strategy in dealing with this fundamental issue, as they prepare for elections.
The three speakers are Tariq Hassan, Raza Rabbani and Ahsan Iqbal.
The initial address for 45 mins will be followed by a question hour.
A Question panel comprising Talat Hussain (Aaj), Anwar Kamal, Diep and Athar Minallah will question the speakers and also present the written questions received from the floor. Kindly bring your pen and paper for writing questions. Looking forward to an exciting dialogue.
Since the seats are limited, we have to give at the gate a list of people who are coming. If you wish to attend, please Confirm by SMS 0321-9456644 or 0300-9456644..
Press Release from Student Action Committee Islamabad
Islamabad: SAC Islamabad has condemned the arrest, detention and harassment of the citizens of Pakistan who had gathered outside the house of Justice Rana Bhagwandas. SAC called for dropping of all unfair charges against the peaceful protesters in Karachi and expressed solidarity with them. A few minutes of silence were observed after the SAC-ISB meeting which was followed by a peaceful vigil outside Civil Junction in Islamabad. SAC-ISB especially praised the courage of eight brave men and women of Karachi who were arrested and jailed for speaking up for their conscience. The vigil was still able to attract 30 odd people amidst a short notice, the chaos in the country and the day being the 9th of Muharram - a very sacred day for Muslims. It was decided not to hold a protest or a rally to preserve the sanctity of Muharram.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Last Night before Karbala
The sky is starry and a more-than-half-full moon is shining bright. As I run round and round in the field, warming my body amidst the cold nightly breeze, I think of another man, many, many years ago, sitting in his tent with his hands extended in prayer to Allah, the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth. Out in the world of Islam, a dark power was spreading its tentacles and had finally come face-to-face with the grandson of the Prophet - the torchbearer of an order based on justice not brute force. With less than a hundred fighting men, Husayn ibn Ali knew he had not the slightest chance against the might of the Umayyad army. But he also knew that his duty was not to win a war; his duty was only to stand for principles, come what may.
That night as he stood on the soft sands of Karbala, so near yet so far from the flowing waters of the Euphrates, Husayn ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib ibn Abdul Muttalib must have looked at the same starry heavens above and the less-than-half full moon that I now see. He must have felt peace dawn upon his heart: tomorrow, courage was all he would need. He was the son of Ali ibn Abi Talib – Arabia's greatest warrior in his generation - he had enough courage in his blood. Tomorrow, he will have to face death in defense of principles of governance espoused by Islam - death in Allah's path. He could not have feared that either. Looking at the beauty of the heavens above and the grandeur of desert around him, Husayn ibn Ali, must have contemplated the beauty of the Creator of Beauty, Allah the Beautiful. By Allah's decree, tomorrow, he would go down in history as the Great Imam of Muslims, torch-bearer of Justice and Truth. His legendary sacrifice would continue to breathe courage into people of all times, when they stand up against the forces of tyranny and oppression.
Sects amongst Muslims have long bickered over the historical details of the Battle of Karbala. For an intellectual tradition like that of Islam, which accommodates diversity of opinion, this seems nothing but natural. Yet, all things said and written must have some relevance. And tonight, as we contemplate the majestic sacrifice of Imam Hussayn and his companions, camped near the banks of the Euphrates, pitted against the brutal might of an illegitimate ruler, those squabbles have no relevance. Tonight, it is imperative to remember this: all it takes is a few good men to stand for Truth and Justice, and then neither death nor insult can keep the withering flames of Injustice alive for long – sooner or later, illegitimacy of cosmic proportions melts before the courage of a few devoted honest human beings. As we pay rich tribute to the beloved Imam, the other point to remember is that the battle engaged in by the Imam is an ever-going battle. Yazid's legacy may crumble before the moral might of the slain Imam's sacrifice, but sooner or later, in one form or another, that legacy gets resurrected. Thus it is that the wise say: Each age will need its own Husayn.
May it be that in the battles of our times, we think and act as the spiritual descendants of Imam Husain and not as the lackeys of Yazid. May it be that we choose the right side, and stay the course, despite all that it takes. Tonight, as I behold the ancient stars – silent spectators of the Battle of Karbala – the best I can do is to extend my hands to pray "O Allah! Guide us to the right path." It comforts me to remind myself that many years ago, in the silent stillness of a vast desert, a Man of Destiny did the same. Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his companions.
Pakistan collapsing under Musharraf; he has to go
Pakistan is on fast rout of collapsing under Musharaf dictatorship. The state is in immense crisis. The infrastructure, industrial and social, is in total chaos. The economic crisis is showing its muscles. The price hike is uncontrollable and unemployment in ever increase.
The vast majority of ordinary people of Pakistan are praying day and night that Musharaf be killed or at least he should die. Majority believe that he will never leave power without giving up his life; “If he is not killed, he will kill us all one by one."
He has become the most unpopular president in the history of Pakistan .
Musharaf is widely seen as a person who has orchestrated the murder of Benazir Bhutto. “Qaatal Qaatal Musharaf Qaatal (Murderer the murderer, Musharaf the murderer) was the main slogan of the mass reaction. All the twist and turn of Musharaf dictatorship after the murder has strengthened the doubts of the masses in this regard. “He asked her to come to Pakistan by negotiating and let her be killed” is a remark you hear very often.
Despite that, Musharaf has consistently shown the trends that he will stick to power by any mean. Pakistan needs him, Pakistan first, Pakistan my top priority” are some of his regular sloganeering. However, many do not trust him anymore here in Pakistan .
The desperation of masses to remove Musharaf by a mass movement is clear everywhere. They had attempted to throw him out of power after assassination of Benazir. That was an unprecedented movement for five days from 27 December 2007. Not a single shop was open, no wheel on the move, no factory working, no bank open, no office functioning, no restaurant or hotel open, no train on the move, flights cancelled, schools and colleges closed and thousands and thousands were on the road protesting. This was the most unexpected outburst of mass anger after the killing.
Nevertheless, unfortunately, Pakistan Peoples Party leadership had not learnt from history. They saw this an important occasion to show that are the responsible defender of the system. They went to appeal the masses to cool down, go back to their work and turn your anger into vote for Pakistan Peoples Party.
This was the time when majority of the political parties had announced to boycott the elections and demanded an immediate resignation of Musharaf. Had PPP joined the other parties in boycotting the general elections, Musharaf would have gone by now.
They had not realized the post Benazir killing scenario. They had not anticipated the total collapse of economy in the days ahead. They had not thought of the tactics of Musharaf supporters to rig the election if they were given chance. Over 4000 First Investigation Reports (FIR) has been registered by police against a record number of half a million PPP and other opposition political activists in Sind alone. Many PPP activists were arrested to be released on bail later. Many thousands have gone for bail before arrest. The tactics of PPP leadership has put PPP in defensive position.
The PPP is on the run after three weeks of Benazir Bhutto assassination, it was Musharaf who was on the defense after the killings. He would have been relieved when the PPP leadership had taken a decision to contest elections.
At a time when the consciousness of the whole of Pakistan was anti Musharaf, with active participation in the movement, the PPP leadership announcement to participate in elections was like putting cold water on boiling heat, like a fire brigade bus active in stopping fire spreading by showering water.
Moreover, what election is taking place on 18 February 2008?
Before the announcement of the general elections, top judges, 60 of them were put under house arrest on 3 November 2007, when martial law was imposed on the name of emergency; many are still in house arrest, particularly the chief justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Ahmed Chaudhry. On 14 January, all public meetings and election rallies are banned for a month on the name of security. Thus, effectively, there is not going be any mass mobilization by the political parties. Most of the opposition parties that are taking part in the elections are already complaining that it will be rigged and that they have proof of rigging in the electoral role.
All the rules laid out by the Election Commission of Pakistan about the size and width of the posters, pamphlets, stickers, hording boards and banners have been widely violated by most of the candidates belonging to the government and the opposition.
It is a race of money among the candidates. It is like a business competition. It is not a democracy that is going to be restored by the elections, but a farce of democracy. The general elections have given a chance to the masses to choose amongst the exploiters. The condition that a candidate must be at least a university graduate meant that only less than one percent of the whole population had a chance to become candidates.
Three weeks after the assassination of Benazir, on 17 January 2008, there is an unprecedented price hike. Wheat flour is the most used food item in Pakistan; It has gone up from Rupees 13 a kilogram to 25 to 50 Rupees a kilogram, if you can find it in shops. There have been suicide attempts by women after failure to buy the wheat flour from the government concessional utility stores. There have been food riots reported in many parts of the country.
There is regular news on television and newspapers that “smugglers” of wheat floor have been arrested. Earlier smuggling was normally restricted to gold and electronic items. Now wheat flour “smugglers” are the main enemies of Pakistan . Almost every province has restricted the transportation of wheat floor, thus creating more problems for the people North West Frontier Province, Baluchistan and many in Afghanistan who are dependent on wheat flour from Punjab and Sind.
There are massive electricity crises. The electricity is released on load shedding basis, in most cases there is electricity available for only 10 to 12 hours a day. The countryside is worst hit by this. There is no commercial gas available to all the industries for the last two weeks. Thus closing down of many hundreds factories. Even hospitals are not spared from this. Hundreds of thousands workers have been laid off from factories and asked to wait until the electricity and gas is restored to full capacity.
LPG gas has disappeared. The price has gone up from 50 Rupees a kilogram to 100/110 Rupees a kilogram if you can find one LPG gas shop open. The price of one kilogram of vegetables has gone up to 125 Rupees from 100 earlier. There is almost a 25 percent price hike of everything available in the shops and super markets.
Yet there is neither a wage increase nor any temporary compensation for the people. This is a very good ground for the very rich politicians from Muslim League Q, who are the main supporters of Musharaf. They will buy votes in bulk for the scheduled 18 February general elections. The objective reality of hardship of life under Musharaf with PPP taking part in elections may cut across the massive sympathy wave for PPP that they are counting on. However, there is a limit to such tactics. Musharaf dictatorship has failed to curb the ongoing incidents of suicidal attacks. The religious fundamentalists groups in Waziristan and Swat are not budging down despite a heavy military operation. They are striking back repeatedly. On 16 January, a group of religious extremist occupied a fort in North Waziristan, which was used by the Pakistan military. The newspapers reported eight army men killed while 20 disappeared, while unconfirmed reports put the causalities much higher than the official announcement The Government reported the killings of 50 militants as well.
There are several incidents where most of the suicidal attackers were less than 16 year of age. The completely new young generation has been motivated by the religious fundamentalists to take an all out war against the friends of imperialism and “enemies of Islam”.
There is lot of discontent among the police force and bureaucracy in Pakistan . They are sick and tired of their usage against the masses and the movement. Many police officers are very often speaking against Musharaf government to their friends and contacts. There is no support among the public employees for the military dictatorship but are forced to go on. Musharaf dictatorship is isolated and very much hated. It is a dictatorship supported by none but by American imperialism and its allies. It is trying its best to survive. However, the day of the military regimes are numbered. It cannot survive for long despite all the help of its political friends. It is the most hated dictatorship in the history of Pakistan. Day by day, it is loosing. Musharaf has survived by the most modern security arrangements available at present time.
However, these will not work all the time; especially not in the wake of the tremendous hatred that is building up.
Urgent: Undercover deals between Musharraf and Shahbaz Sharif
In the recent turn of events Shahbaz Sharif accepted political negotiations with Brig. (R) Niaz. Brig (r) Niaz is a close personal friend of both Shahbaz Sharif and General (Retarded) Pervez Musharraf.
http://www.paktribune.com/news/index.shtml?196276http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=91874
According to inside sources, the deal is close to being finalized. General (Retarded) Pervez Musharraf has offered a greater role to Shahbaz Sharif in the future government if the PML-N drops its demand for the judiciary.
We can not let this happen.
What you can do to prevent this from happening:
1) Call/SMS
The mass contact campaign proved really successful last time. Please find the numbers of PML-N leadership at the end of this email and as always go crazy with your texts and phone calls. Every msg counts.
If you are in UK please call Shahbaz Sharif directly on this number and address your concerns to him:+44-2074930925
To sms from the internet use the following links (might take a little while to load):
Mobilink: http://smspk.kalpoint.com/Mobilink1.php
Warid: http://smspk.kalpoint.com/warid1.php
Ufone: http://smspk.kalpoint.com/ufone1.php
Paktel:http://smspk.kalpoint.com/paktel1.php
Telenor:http://smspk.kalpoint.com/telenor1.php
Instaphone: http://smspk.kalpoint.com/insta1.php
(Please scroll to the end of the email to get contact information)
2) Meet them in person:
If you can, please meet any of the PML-N candidates from your area. They will be conducting election rallies and of course you can always go to their houses and demand your voices be heard. They will not deny you this right especially if you are from their constituency.
Their contact info is at the end of the email.
3) Create your voice against this deal!
Blogs, op-eds, letters to the editors, emails, every msg counts. We can not let PML-N have a deal with the falling dictator.
4) Forward this email to all your contacts
And please DO send texts/call at these numbers. This list has been compiled after a LOT of research so ALL the numbers are accurate.
PML-N contact information:
PresidentMuhammad Shahbaz Sharif
Contact# London 00442074930925
ChairmanRaja Muhammad Zafar-ul-Haq
Phone#051-2823475
H-36, St 39. G-7/4, Islamabad
Senior Vice Presidents
1. Makhdoom Javed Hashmi Senior Vice President/Acting President
0300-9630740
50-B Qasim RoadPhone# 92-61511553Lahore
2. Muhammad Ali Khan Hoti
0937-862049
(off)Jamal Plaza Nisatta Road 0937-863159 ®Mardan
3. Mr. Saranjam Zamindar
0300-9591094
H-5, Sector G-4, Phase II, 091-824444-824222 Hayatabad Peshawar
051-22800330303-69028110931-66666-633330931-64444
4. Mamnoon Hussain
021-5855655
53/4, 28th Street, Phase V 0333-2107654 D.H.A 021-5843553Karachi 021-5844277(f)
Vice Presidents
Begum Tehmina
042-5725894-5721780
8-B, D.H.S.030084651390693-648000Punjab
Imdad Chandio
051-444968
4H. 112/3 Lane 8 phase VII 021-5857233 Khayaban-e-Rahat D.H.A 0333-2143340 Karachi Sindh
Mushahidullah Khan
051-2260911
H. No. 8-C, St. B-20051-22610560320-4505771F-8/2, Islamabad.
Subedar Khan Mandokhail Baluchistan
051-224090 9C-1-AA, Park Road0333-5606775 Chakshahzad, Islamabad
Syed Zafar Ali Shah Islamabad
0333-5202949051-28722990320-4502949
H. 3, St,41-B, G-7/4Islamabad
Muhammad Rafique Awan Baluchistan
081-2849140 H.# 85-86, Old Police Line
0333-78297500300-3868522 Near Old FIA Office Chamman Phattic Jail Road Quetta
Additional Secretaries
Ahsan Iqbal Chief Coordinator & Information Secretary
051-2213017 House No 81 St 59, I-8/30300-5012345051-4860059051-4860058 (fax)Islamabad
Muhammad Pervez Malik Secretary Finance
0300-8440280
142 E-1 Gulberg III Lahore 9221577 (lodges) 9207477 (279)042-5878201
042-5878202042-5710332 (o)042-5710333 (o)
Iqbal Zafar Jhagra
Secretary General Vill Jhagra Distt Peshawar
091-262675-263336, 0300-9590653, 0300-8595225, 091-2651234
Ch. Mohammad Jafar Iqbal
Addl Secy General
051-2856501 ®H. No. 257, St. 23 051-2651000 (O)E-7, Islamabad
0300-8678844
Khawaja Muhammad Asif
051-2262478, 118-Mehmood Ghazanvi Road 042-5720478 Sialkot Cantt
0432-261478-2624780300-8440640
Sardar Rahim
Addl Secretary Information
0333-2200696H.18, St.8, East Phase I 021-5896589 D.H.A Karachi 021-5380212pmln.media@yahoo.com
Joint Secretaries
Siddique-ul-Farooq
051-44110540300/8560466
409-C, Khyaban-e-Sirsyed, Rawalpindi
Shahid Khaqan Abbasi
051-2823035
H 4, St#17, F-7/2 0300-9501569 ISLAMABAD Punjab
Ch. Muhammad Barjis Tahir
0563-785933–782070
Jamia Masjid Road
0300-9482500
Sangalla Hills, Sheikhpura, Punjab
Raja Ashfaq Sarwar
051-2296982
H#222 St. 33, F-10/1 0300-8501313, Islamabad, Punjab
Principles v. Power--a test for the Pakistani Politician
Recently, representatives of Student Action Committee Lahore & Islamabad met the twice-elected former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to discuss the importance of working towards the restoration of the judiciary. Present at the meeting were Mr. Raja Ashfaq Sarwar, General Secretary of Punjab, PML-N and Mr. Chaudhry Nisar, Senior Vice President PML-N and Mr. Syed Mehdi. Representing SAC Lahore were Zubair Niazi and Sundas Hurain, and SAC Islamabad was Samad Khurram.
The first issue discussed was the possible courses of action that could be undertaken towards the restoration of the judiciary. Infact, the first thing Mr. Sharif asserted right after getting seated was the need towards working for the restoration of the judiciary.. He reiterated the fact that the key to stability in Pakistan was the reinstatement of the pre-Nov 3 judiciary. He said his party does not recognize the current court as legitimate. Mr. Sarwar assured his party's continued support for the cause of the lawyers, students and the civil society. He stated that PML-N has been helping the cause in all its capacity and will continue doing so. Upon the establishment of our intentions and interests as common, an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) was presented to Mr. Nawaz Sharif expressly outlining that:
SAC and PML-N both agree on the need for independence of the judiciary. We realize that without the reinstatement of all the deposed judges, an independent judicial organ and democratic rule cannot reasonably be established in the country.
SAC and PML-N will facilitate each other in efforts towards the reinstatement of the deposed judges. This is one demand that neither party will compromise upon.
Mr Sharif agreed with the provisions of the MoU, and asserted that he would "provisionally sign the document" while it goes to the party, to assure SAC of his unreserved commitment to the cause. At this point Mr. Nisar interrupted, stating that it should be presented to the party first. However, SAC was repeatedly assured of PML's commitment to restoration of the judiciary.
The Pakistani politicians are notorious for continuously changing colors to suite their ends.This is the prime reason for the lack of trust accorded to them by the people of Pakistan. What remains to be seen is if the politicians really have changed. This will judge whether their is hope for the country under the rule of the leadership of the 90s. Amidst rumors of a deal between the dictator and the democratic politician, will PML-N stand firm on its promises to the people of Pakistan, or yet again will they sway to where the seduction of power leads them? The art of ambiguity after all is a skill well known and valued by the Pakistani politicians.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Invitation to talk by Imran Khan in DC
(InformPress.com) - Imran Khan, Chairman - Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf(PTI: Movement for Justice) - will be speaking at an event hosted by Amnesty International USA and Washington-Pakistan Forum (WPF). He will discuss the current crisis in Pakistan and its implications for human rights.
Please join us.
Date: 22 January 2008 (Tuesday)
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Address: Amnesty International USA
600 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE, 5th Floor
Washington DC 20003 USA
Note: U.S. Post Office and Citibank are on the ground floor.
Metro: Eastern-Market stop. Orange and Blue lines.
For information, CONTACT:tkumar@aiusa.org or telephone: 202-544-0200, ext. 224.
Sincerely,
T. KUMAR
Advocacy Director for Asia & Pacific
Amnesty International USA
Telephone: 202-544-0200 ext. 224
Fax: 202-546-7142
EMail: tkumar@aiusa.org
Website: http://www.amnestyusa.org
Blast in Peshawar
PESHAWAR: Ten persons were killed and several others injured in a suicide bomb blast in an Imam Bargah here in Mohala Jangi area of Kohati on Thursday.
Police has confirmed deaths of 8 persons.
Spokesman, Federal Interior Ministry, Javed Iqbal Cheema confirmed that the blast was a suicide attack.
He said the suicide bomber was stopped by security personnel at the entrance of the Imam Bargah when he shot two gun fires and then blew himself up, killing 10 persons. Is reported that as many as 23 persons were injured.
However, Inspector General, NWFP, Dreshak said it would be premature to call the blast a suicide attack.
A majlis was underway at the time when the huge explosion occurred.
The blast could be an act of terrorism, said the officials.
Police has cordoned off the blast site while rescue activities are being carried out.
