We protest in the strongest terms against the recent arrests of opponents of the military regime of General Prevez Musharraf in Pakistan. In particular we protest at the arrest and sentencing to three months detention of Farooq Tariq, General Secretary of the Labour Party of Pakistan. Not only are such arrests in themselves a violation of elementary democratic rights, their aim is clearly to disrupt the movement of protest against the suspension of the Chief Justice of Pakistan Mohammed Chaudhry and calls for an end to the illegal military regime.
But on top of the arrests there are reports of the serious ill treatment of Farooq Tariq and other detainees, in particular their confinement in overcrowded cells in excessively high temperatures and of police actions aimed at making detainees believe their lives were in imminent danger (i.e. psychological torture.).
It is vital to bring an end to all violations of the human rights of Farooq Tariq and the other political prisoners, to accord them humane treatment and decent conditions, at once. Likewise it is essential that they be given full, daily access to their families and lawyers. Furthermore we demand their immediate and unconditional release and the dropping of all the trumped up charges against them
Such flagrant and repeated violations of democratic rights are proof positive that this entire regime has to go, that only the actions of the masses on the streets, the action of the workers, can get rid of it. The negotiations between Musharraf and the old and corrupt “democratic opposition” politicians with the US imperialists acting as “honest brokers”, are simply designed to avoid this outcome at all costs.
The Bush Administration, for all its bluff about democracy, has only one interest; to “stabilise” Pakistan as an instrument of their war to occupy and control the oil reserves and strategic strong points of Central Asia and the Middle East. The true character of US policy is shown by the fact that the Appropriations Sub-Committee of Congress restored $50 million in military aid to Pakistan on Tuesday to ‘help it weather its current political turmoil’ whilst its Democratic Party chairwoman expressed the pious wish that Musharraf “allows the rule of law to prevail with regard to the suspended judge and allows full and fair elections to occur without delay.”
We are convinced that the movement against the military regimes undemocratic actions will continue and will succeed in obtaining the release of all the detainees, but it is our internationalist duty to do all we can to help bring this about. We appeal to all socialists and trade unionists world wide to protest to the Pakistani authorities, to local embassies, etc.. We call on all trade union and parliamentary representatives of the workers movement, indeed on all sincere democrats and human rights supporters, to protest this repression publicly and in the strongest terms so that all those detained are speedily released and the military regime deterred from repeating such violations.
League for the Fifth International, 14th June 2007
Send protests to
Send your protest letters to:
General Pervez Musharraf
President of Pakistan
President House
Constitution House
Islamabad, Pakistan
Fax: +92 51 922 1422, 4768/ 920 1893 or 1835
Email: http://www.presidentofpakistan.gov.pk/WTPresidentMessage.aspx
Mr. Shaukat Aziz
Prime Minister of Pakistan
Prime Minister Secretariat
Constitution Avenue
Islamabad, Pakistan
Email: [email protected]
Mr Pervez Elahi
Chief Minister Punjab
Chief Minister House
Lahore, Pakistan
Email: http://www.chpervaizelahi.com/writemsg.asp
4-Lt General Khalid Maqbool
Governor Punjab
Governor House
Lahore, Pakistan
Fax: +92 42 9200023
Email: HYPERLINK “mailto:[email protected]” [email protected]
Tariq Mahmood Babur
Superindent, Jail Bawalpur
Ph: 92 62 9255298
Fax: 92 62 9255318
Send messages of support to <[email protected]>