But Zardari wants his 19 year old son should inherit PPP. Son that has not even stood for one election. Son whose education and life has been far away from the land of Pakistan. But King wants his son to be crowned. To enhance the claim of inheritance now his Son will not be Bilawal Zardari but Bilawal Bhutto Zardar.Now Mr. Bilawal will go for further education and after his education he will come back to take leadership command. Isnt it like fairy tale where prince goes for learning art of war and then returns to take back the throne.
I am not amazed by the PPP's top leadership's decision, they are old experienced players of politics who would have little sympathy in changing the status quo.But what happened to this 19 year old Bilawal who is continuing his education from Oxford? Has the education system failed to build any moral and ethical structure in him? I have always thought that young people of his age are more realistic and resilient to the glitter of corruption.
But how can I expect anything positive form the member of the family who got Prime Minister ship for 3 times and about their villages BBC best said
But there is little sign that the region has felt any benefit from living in the shadow of one of the country's most influential dynasties.
The poverty which blights rural Pakistan is striking and most people eke out their living in the scrubby fields.
The other thing that amazed me was silence from electronic Media, none of the them was even commented about this undemocratic act and its implications. Even Talat Hussain from AAJ Tv. kept mum about it.
They might be more busy in their duties, but even on some blogs respected writers and commenter's (for example have a look at www.pakistaniat.com) were supporting that decision. General feeling you get from their messages is it is unfortunate but necessary to protect the PPP or some are saying they do not wanted it but if this happens they will support it.
They are fearful that party would break but with this decision what it would stand for? a dynasty of Bhutto's? We know its not temporary decision, he will not be temporary head till they hold some party elections. He announced his plans of completing his education and comeback to become active Chairman of PPP
All this night while news of crowing of new prince was unfolding, I was remembering the early days of Musharaf. That time also many educated people and respected intellectuals supported him calling him a lesser evil, defending his actions as necessary to protect country. They kept on protecting him even when people were dying in various parts of country.
Today when it looked like that civil society has finally stood against dictatorship. Today when it looked we could see evil as evil and will not close our eyes for momentarily benefits. I am horrified to know our minds are still slaves, slaves of our own fears.
Sometime its better to do right & just act, instead of doing wrong act that looks beneficial.
{On side note I must say Zardari's address on many times contained important things about stability of Pakistan, the way he defended Punjab and asked people to support for the federation, I was impressed. I feel the gesture of Nawaz Sharif played a very vital role in solidifying the feeling that Punjabis are with Sindhis. Its the first time I feel that existence of PML(Q) has been blessing, as all anger has been toward them and PML(N) was able to get sympathies of Sindhis for Punjab}
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For me it is quiet unimportant to debate on how Benazir Bhutto died, why Govt. personnels are making it controversial ? Whats the point in saying that she was not died due to bullets but due to the hit of sunroof lever ?
It is hard to believe that the shooter would have missed any of its shot, as it is so close to the vehicle plus the assasin is determined/confident/trained enough (you can witness it in this video)
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Dictatorshipwatch.com published a story by Syed Adeeb on October 31, 2007. The story says in biref:
“Why did Azaz Syed, Najam Sethi and the Daily Times editors deliberately plant a false ‘news’ story in the Daily Times newspaper about fictitious “suicide” bomb attacks on Benazir Bhutto by the fake “suicide bombers” of Baitullah Mehsud? ”
Why? Well now we know. It had already BEEN DECIDED BACK IN OCTOBER ATLEAST
1) to assassinate BB, and
2) blame Baitullah for it.
That story was put there to sow the seed in peoples head that Baitullah wanted BB dead. Pure and simple. Soon, Baitullah will be killed too — you can’t have a patsy running around — the Oswalds in these scripts must die.
That certainly was a completely fabricated story, just like the current "claim". Baitullah denied it; the senator who supposedly passed the info to Daily Times denied it. Najam Sethi’s boss is a current federal minister in Mush’s caretaker govt. They are all are "Neocons-Zionist mercenaries of Pakistan's secular press" and do what their masters ask of them.
By the way, Baitullah has already issued a statement denying he had anything to do with the BB’s assassination, saying they do not attack women as it is against their moral code.
About the pictures released by the regime:
1. Looking at the x-ray, it is too big a fracture to have occurred the way it is described. Also note that if one is to believe the official version, even then it IT HAD TO BE a glancing blow to the skull and for that to cause such a fracture how much force/speed would be required to cause a fracture like that???
2. About the other full-skull X-ray, what is that big white spot in the middle? Could be a camera flash, but is not visibly centered in the other close-up shot above. A doctor wrote to dictatorshipwatch.com: “I have seen many x-rays but never seen an effect even close to that.”
3. Looking at the picture of the car seat how could an injury such as the one described cause so much bleeding? You might observe the seat is all soaked and a lot of blood has dripped over. Can anyone tell if those leather seats? PPP officials who accompany Benazir in the car rejected the government’s fabrications as a “pack of lies.”
“It is baseless. It is a pack of lies,” Farooq Naik, Ms Bhutto’s top lawyer and a senior official in her Pakistan People’s Party, told AFP.
“Two bullets hit her, one in the abdomen and one in the head,” Mr Naik said. “Bhutto’s personal secretary Naheed Khan and party official Makhdoom Amin Fahim were in the car and they saw what happened,” he said.
4. Why no x-ray of the neck area or chest area have been released as those two areas were first reported to be where she sustained bullet wounds? Looking at the video and the proximity of the shooter, how is possible he would have missed all three shots?
Benazir is dead, whether it was because of gun shots or due to banging her head against the sunroof. Why has it become so important for the regime to prove through releasing "evidence" that it was not due to gunshots. The only reason is that such precise shooting leads to the professionalism of the killer, who completed his job so neatly amid such hustle and bustle around her car. The professionalism of the killers directly leads to sofistication and direct involvement of SSG in the operation silence Benazir.
And the taped conversation between a Maulvi and Baitullah makes one laugh. That is beyond ridiculous. If they intercepted the message, why didn't they go get him as in it he says at whose house he is....What more could you ask for??
Source: DictatorshipWatch
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This New York Sun article points out that Pakistan Army's Special Service Group (SSG) commandos murdered Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairwoman Ms. Benazir Bhutto, 54 (1953-2007), in her vehicle on Thursday, 27 December 2007 during the PPP rally at the Liaqat Bagh (park) in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Anti-Benazir criminal terrorist Pervez Musharraf worked for seven years in the Pakistan Army's Special Service Group of Commandos, where he learned the evil art of assassination. visit source
Pakistan Army's SSG Commandos Killed PPP Chief Benazir BhuttoWASHINGTON DC, USA, 28 December 2007 (The New York Sun):
American and Pakistani military leaders are seeking to account for what may be renegade commando units from the Pakistani military's special forces in the wake of the assassination of Pakistan's Opposition leader and former Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto.
The attack yesterday at Rawalpindi bore the hallmarks of a sophisticated military operation. At first, Bhutto's rally was hit by a suicide bomb that turned out to be a decoy. According to press reports and a situation report of the incident relayed to The New York Sun by an American intelligence officer, Bhutto's armored limousine was shot by multiple snipers whose armor-piercing bullets penetrated the vehicle, hitting the former premier five times in the head, chest and neck. Two of the snipers then detonated themselves shortly after the shooting, according to the situation report, while being pursued by local police.
A separate attack was thwarted at the local hospital where Bhutto possibly would have been revived had she survived the initial shooting. Also attacked yesterday was a rival politician, Nawaz Sharif, another former Prime Minister who took power after Bhutto lost power in 1996.
A working theory, according to this American source, is that groups had effectively suborned at least one unit of Pakistan's Special Services Group, the country's equivalent of Britain's elite SAS commandos. This official, however, stressed this was just a theory at this point. Other theories include that the assassins were trained by [SSG] or were from other military services, or the possibility that the assassins were retired Pakistani special forces.
"They just killed the most protected politician in the whole country," this source said. "We really don't know a lot at this point, but the first thing that is happening is we are asking the Pakistani military to account for every black team with special operations capabilities."
Bhutto survived a suicide bombing attack in October and then went public with a list of former and current security and military officials she said had been plotting to kill her. At the time, she asked for the FBI to investigate the attacks.
The prospect that Bhutto's attackers were trained special forces operatives raises profound questions for America's policy of giving financial aid to Pakistan's military. Since the attacks of September 11, 2001, America has provided the Musharraf regime with more than $10 billion.
A close associate of Bhutto for more than two decades, Hussein Haqqani, yesterday said he believed Pakistan's security services were complicit in the assassination of his friend. "I don't think they were complicit, as in, they did it, I mean this as they allowed this to happen. Of course that includes the possibility of actual complicity. I think her security needs and concerns were not addressed," he told the Sun. Mr. Haqqani said he thought it was a possibility that had penetrated the security services.
Violent protests reportedly were spreading throughout Pakistan yesterday. A Pakistan expert at the Rand Corporation, Seth Jones, said he would need to study the technical details of the assassination to determine if it was an inside job. "If there is anywhere to fault the national security establishment, it would be not protecting her well enough," he said.
"Al-Qaeda" group has not yet issued an official statement claiming credit on its two largest Web forums.
A White House spokesman, Scott Stanzel, said: "Whoever perpetrated this attack is an enemy of democracy and has used a tactic which is very familiar with, and that is bombing and the taking of innocent lives to try to disrupt a democratic process." President Bush yesterday condemned what he called a "cowardly attack."
A senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, Daniel Markey, who just returned from Pakistan, told reporters on a conference call yesterday that there were plenty of people around Mr. Musharraf "who were angry with Benazir Bhutto."
The assassination is particularly troubling for American policy. For the last year, the State Department in particular has tried to broker a power sharing agreement between Mr. Musharraf and Bhutto, reasoning that Mr. Musharraf alone lacked the legitimacy to wage a full military war against "Al-Qaeda."
Source: The New York Sun, New York, USA
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Imran Khan writes that Benazir's assassination has put the unity of Pakistan under threat, and there is no more room for errors. He urged all PTI members to join the PPP workers in their grief, and emphasized that all parties must boycott the election to force Musharraf out, as his blind policies have reduced the country to ashes from Peshawar to Rawalpindi to Karachi.
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The Student Action Committee Lahore condemns the mindless murder of Benazir Bhutto and the other innocent victims of this tragic incident. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families and mourners; we grieve alongside them in this hour of catastrophe.
The state has once again proved criminally inept in providing for the security and safety of the citizens and leaders of this country. However, we ask the people to show restraint and not turn against each other. This is a moment where the nation must stand together. We must not let the perpetrators of this horrendous act succeed in dividing us.
The SAC ( Lahore) calls upon the country to unite in the condemnation of this assassination and realize that now is the time to take our country back from those who have brought it to the brink of failure.
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ISLAMABAD: The prices of daily use items rose by 9.51 per cent in the third week of December.According to Federal Bureau of Statistics the rate of inflation for low income group rose by 12.24 per cent as compared to the previous year. It said out of 53 essential items prices of 17 registered advance while those of 11 declined and rates of 25 remained stable.Increase was seen in the prices of tomatoes, ginger, LPG, Kerosine oil, eggs, wheat, edibl .... Full Story
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By: Naeem Sadiq (naeemsadiq@gmail.com)
2007 will be remembered as a year of extremism. It was in this year that 'the extremists became very extreme', to quote from the president of the PCO Republic. It was in this year that the extremists on the mountains of Waziristan killed and captured more soldiers than at any other time in the history of Pakistan. It was in this year that the extremists in Islamabad fired a long-distance, high-speed PCO missile that knocked out one's own strategic assets such as the Constitution and the judiciary. It was in 2007 that we became the only country in the world that suspended and 'house-arrested' its own chief justice twice in the same calendar year. It was in this year that a militant legislation transferred all state powers to a single individual — perhaps the only person in the world who has a nuclear button in his pocket and whose constitutional amendments cannot be challenged.
Also in this year the political parties displayed unparalleled greed and spinelessness by legitimising extremely substandard PCO products like the PCO president, PCO judges, PCO PM and PCO Election Commission. No wonder the Chinese calendar calls 2007 the year of the animal we do not like to talk about.
But there was also a new sense of energy and resistance in the air that began to give hope to the dark despondency of 2007. It was for the first time that Pakistanis, forgetting their many differences, closed ranks and began to take positions around a single dividing line. The line that separates the civil and the uncivil society. A divide along the lines of conscience on the one hand and compromise on the other.
What are the dynamics of this new development? While the traumatic events of 2007 may have been a triggering factor, this new wave reflects an accumulated disillusionment of people from 60 years of uninterrupted deceit, corruption and lawlessness. Gradually but firmly, people have come to perceive their leaders (both civil and military) as corrupt, self-serving and power-hungry whose only interest is to use the placebo of clichés, deceptive manifestos and hollow slogans to dupe the masses.
The educated middle class — lawyers, teachers, students, doctors, professionals, individual citizens and groups — which has traditionally kept itself at a distance from mainstream politics is awakening to a realisation that it has stayed on the sidelines for too long.
There is a growing realisation that years of inaction, silence and cynicism have only resulted in people being taken for a long ride. In a classic replay of Pastor Niemöller's famous lines, the home-made Nazis have already come for the judges, the lawyers and the media. A scary realisation that people must stand up and speak for themselves as there is no one left to speak for them.
What separates the civil from the uncivil society of Pakistan? One simplistic understanding would be that anyone who directly or indirectly was a party to the mutilation of the Constitution and launch of the draconian PCO, who took oath as a PCO judge, cut power deals with the US, tried to seek indemnity against past crimes, supported the military regime, accepted a position under this unconstitutional arrangement or granted legitimacy to these actions by taking part in elections is a part of the Uncivil Society. All others may prima facie be assumed to be part of the civil society.
One does not, however, become a part of the civil society by merely suffering in silence. Even a weekend vigil or periodic public protests are not good enough. A society is called civil when its members individually and collectively follow ethical principles and practices in their working lives.
They relate their work to larger social and political causes. They support ethical and principled stands. They protest peacefully and lawfully against tyranny and injustice.
They are willing to contribute their time, effort, money or expertise for a cause or community. They are willing to rise above their party positions and cushy jobs, to raise their voice when the rulers indulge in unethical practices, and finally they care and work for the betterment of a larger society instead of a privileged few. While it may still be many miles to the land of the civil society, there are clear signs and symptoms that people in Pakistan are already taking the most difficult first steps. May 2008 be the year of the civil society.
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The Honorable Condoleezza Rice
Secretary of State
Department of State
2201 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20520
Dear Secretary Rice:
Thank you for meeting with the Human Rights Leadership Coalition on December 10. We would like to follow up on the conversation we had on Pakistan and respond to Assistant Secretary Richard Boucher's recent reply to our November 13 letter.
We remain deeply concerned that you and President Bush have not yet called unequivocally for the restoration of an independent judiciary and the lifting of restrictions on the media, particularly television. Pakistan's judiciary supervises the nomination and polling process at every level, while High Court and Supreme Court judges hear appeals regarding qualifications and fraud. The Election Commission is composed of retired and serving judges. The removal of independent-minded judges has rendered free and fair elections impossible, while strict curbs on media further impede accurate reporting on the political and electoral processes. It does not make sense to call for free and fair elections without addressing these concerns.
Assistant Secretary Boucher's letter notes that the U.S. government has called for the end of martial law and the release of detainees. But the letter's language lacks urgency when discussing judicial independence, stating only that the U.S. "encourages an independent judiciary as a significant part of any democracy." Our organizations have heard consistently from colleagues in Pakistan that they cannot understand the silence of the U.S. government on the necessity of an independent judiciary and an unwavering commitment to the rule of law.
Since our meeting, President Musharraf has formally lifted martial law, as the United States had called on him to do. However, in his revocation order and another order issued the day before, President Musharraf renewed his attacks on the judicial system, permanently replacing the dismissed judges and barring judicial review of his actions. Orders and amendments imposed during martial law, fundamentally changing the constitution and people's access to basic rights, remain in place and outside judicial review. Such provisions allow for military trials of civilians and suppression of the media by imposing harsh prison sentences and fines for "anything which...brings into ridicule" the head of state or other government officials.
We urge the United States government to call on the Government of Pakistan to restore the judges to their positions and to lift media restrictions prior to the January 8 elections. Furthermore, the Pakistani government must return the power to license or disbar lawyers to the independent Bar Council. Without such steps, some of the most dangerous aspects of martial law will become enshrined in the Pakistani legal and political system, and neither free elections nor long term stability will be possible.
Ms. Karin Ryan, Director
Human Rights Program
The Carter Center
Ms. Jennifer Windsor, Executive Director
Freedom House
Mr. Salih Booker, Executive Director
Global Rights
Ms. Maureen Byrnes, Executive Director
Human Rights First
Mr. Kenneth Roth, Executive Director
Human Rights Watch
Mr. Gary Haugen, President
International Justice Mission
Mr. Robert Arsenault, President
International League for Human Rights
Ms. Felice D. Gaer, Director
Jacob Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights
Ms. Robin Phillips, Executive Director
Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights
Mr. Frank Donaghue, Chief Executive Officer
Physicians for Human Rights
Ms. Monika Kalra Varma, Director
Robert F Kennedy Memorial Center for Human Rights
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KARACHI: Former premier Nawaz Sharif has vowed that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) would try its best to reinstate the judges sacked on November 3. “This is as necessary as Pakistan’s existence,” Nawaz told reporters after meeting some sacked judges here on Sunday. Addressing a press conference at the residence of PML-N Additional Information Secretary Sardar Rahim, he said, “Sacking honest and diligent judges should not go unnoticed.” He said the president and the PML-Quaid were to blame for the worsening law and order situation in the country. Nawaz said the present regime had written off Rs 107 billion in loans, alleging that they were for defaulters from the PML-Q and its allied parties. He said Musharraf had justified an army takeover by calling Pakistan a failed state. Following eight years under Musharraf’s rule, the country was facing an even more difficult situation, he added. “The nation wants to know what the achievement on your (Musharraf’s) part was,” he said. The PML-N chief said he had told the APDM that he supported a boycott only if it was collective. He said he still supported his colleagues, even if they chose to approach the ‘target’ in different ways. He said Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain was a ‘hurdle’ to the reunification of the various PML factions. He said the PML-N was continuing talks on seat adjustments with the Pakistan People’s Party, adding that nothing was finalised. According to Online, he said it would be difficult to reach any understanding as there was very little time left till the polls. He said anyone who cooperated with President Musharraf was betraying the country. He said he would only be willing to listen to Musharraf if he agreed to reinstate the judiciary.
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With President Pervez Musharraf having lifted the state of emergency in Pakistan, there must be sighs of relief in the United States and Israel. The state of emergency was imposed when Musharraf pre-empted an expected verdict against his re-election on November 3, against a backdrop of mounting concern over the security of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal.
Over the last eight years he has been in power, Musharraf has come to be viewed as a reliable figure in Western capitals, a "safe pair of hands." Despite the resurgence of the Taliban and the increasing potency of the threat that movement's Pakistani supporters pose in the northwest of Pakistan, the international community was more or less comfortable with Musharraf in charge. As long as he was around, went the received wisdom, Pakistan's nuclear assets were safe.
Musharraf's problems - most of them self-inflicted - began piling up after March 9, when he tried to remove the stubbornly independent chief justice, Iftikhar Chaudhry. This generated serious concern in Washington and other world capitals. Although instability in Pakistan would strengthen the extremists, the more pressing worry was the possibility of nuclear warheads and related material falling into Al-Qaeda's hands.
When the Pakistani Army was constructing facilities to store and conceal components of its nuclear arsenal, it located these sites away from the Indian border, in the northwest of the country. These are the very areas where the extremists are now gaining in strength. And although the arsenal's location remains a closely guarded secret, there is a worry that Al-Qaeda might have supporters in the ranks of the Pakistani military. It is common knowledge that both the defense establishment and the intelligence community in Pakistan have been infiltrated by Taliban sympathizers. These fears have been compounded by the country's history of proliferation and the covert help A.Q. Khan, the disgraced nuclear scientist, must have received from the military.
In the worst-case scenario in which a Pakistani nuclear device does fall into the wrong hands, Israel would almost certainly be a prime target. Frustrated by the enormous technological edge enjoyed by the Israeli armed forces, Israel's enemies would dearly love to get their hands on an equalizer. In all probability, they would be unwilling to take the risk of trying to smuggle the device into the US, so Israel would do fine as the next best target.
In much of the Muslim world, Israel is seen as an extension of the US. Indeed, regarding all hostile American policies that concern Muslim countries the prevailing view is that it is a case of the tail wagging the dog. Thus, an attack on Israel would be viewed, especially in jihadist circles, as a blow against the hated Americans.
As Pakistan has been progressively destabilized through a combination of military rule and the rise of religious extremism, another concern is the emergence of vast tracts in the turbulent tribal areas as safe havens for Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. With the weakening of the state's writ in these rugged badlands, the grip of terrorists has tightened.
With more training camps being established in these areas, an expansion of the global jihad can be expected. Western as well as Israeli targets would be at risk. Indeed, the biggest danger is the emergence of a nascent Greater Pashtunistan where Pashtun tribesmen on both sides of the Pakistan-Afghan border who have traditionally supported the Taliban will gain autonomy.
Another area in which Musharraf's support would be needed is Iran. Should there be an American decision to attack Iran or its nuclear facilities, Pakistan's long common border would be crucial to the success of such a campaign. Although Pakistan's participation would be kept secret due to the political ramifications of its involvement, the possibility of American special forces and aircraft crossing the Baluchistan border in western Pakistan could make the difference between success and failure.
Finally, Musharraf is the only Pakistani leader to have publicly advocated a debate on finally establishing diplomatic relations with Israel. Although his initiative lost steam with the Israeli attack on Lebanon last year and the subsequent political turmoil in Pakistan, Musharraf has not used the usual anti-Israel rhetoric so common in the Muslim world.
Despite the fact that Pakistan is a long way from the Arab heartland, Musharraf is still a respected figure in the Middle East. This is largely due to Pakistan being the only Muslim nuclear power. But the general's call for "enlightened moderation" is music to the ears of Arab leaders who fear Islamic militancy. They are all nervous about the possibility of an implosion in Pakistan that would encourage militants to establish a permanent presence there, as in Afghanistan during the Taliban era.
Musharraf appears to have got over the worst: he now has a subservient judiciary, a divided opposition, and a supportive White House. His generals are solidly behind him, and the newly-emerging private television channels have been cowed. His decision to retire from the army and take an oath of office as a civilian president is unlikely to cause any major changes in policies, at least in the short run. But the legitimacy he so ardently desires continues to elude him. If he cannot build bridges to the opposition, he will remain vulnerable.
Irfan Husain is a weekly columnist for Dawn and The Daily Times. He served in the Pakistani civil service for 30 years. This commentary first appeared at bitterlemons-international.org, an online newsletter.
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As part of the crackdown on protests against emergency/martial law, the Government of Pakistan recently brought sedition charges against fourteen faculty members of the Punjab University (Lahore, Pakistan). These charges were in response to the faculty members speaking out and organizing a protest walk on their campus against the imposition of emergency rule (martial law) in Pakistan. The Government of Pakistan has also issued a ban on political discussions and debates on campuses, which is a violation of one of the most basic tenets of academic freedom.
Most of you must by now be familiar with the vanguard role played by members of the Pakistani judiciary in the current political struggle against dictatorship. The unprecedented expression of solidarity by members of the international law community has been extremely important in building up the pressure against the Pakistani government, and in keeping up the spirits of the lawyers and their family members. Students (and educators) comprise the next largest group of protesters and so are being targeted in similarly illegal and brutal ways. This is a call to school and college/university faculty, academic unions and organizations to express their solidarity with the above mentioned faculty members of Punjab University as well as all those being targeted by the Pakistani state, and to demand that the government drop these charges immediately.
It should be noted that even when emergency rule is lifted, these and other such charges will not be automatically dropped nor will the dissenting judges be restituted. Please sign the petition and forward to others, and please consider creating faculty/student solidarity committees on your campus, and issuing separate letters of protest and solidarity. It is imperative at this stage to get as many signatures as possible, as well as to send as many letters/faxes/emails to the individuals and institutions listed below as possible. You can sign the petition at:
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/drop-charges-against-members-of-the-punjab-university.html (the text is pasted below). Time is of the essence, so please sign the petition and send your letters ASAP. Your voice counts.Below are links to three related articles.
If you have any questions please email ConcernedAcademicsOfPakistan@gmail.com.
Shefali Chandra (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)
Lubna Chaudhry (SUNY, Binghampton)
Sofia Checa (University of Massachusetts, Amherst)
Arslan Razmi (University of Massachusetts, Amherst)
Rakhshanda Saleem (Harvard Medical School and Lesley University)
Sahar Shafqat (St. Mary's College of Maryland)
Saadia Toor (College of Staten Island, CUNY)
------------------------------------
Sedition case against 14 PU teachers
DAWN, November 22 2007
http://www.dawn.com/2007/11/18/nat11.htmPolitical debate banned in colleges
DAWN, November 22 2007
http://www.dawn.com/2007/11/22/nat9.htmLUMS professors, students charged under MPO
Daily Times, December 05, 2007
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C12%5C05%5Cstory_5-12-2007_pg7_5
----------------------------------
Send your letters/faxes/emails to:
General (Retd.) Pervez Musharraf
Pakistan Secretariat
Islamabad, Pakistan
Fax: (92) 51-922-1422
Email: CE@pak.gov.pk, president@pak.gov.pk, or via the website
http://www.presidentofpakistan.gov.pk/WTPresidentMessage.aspx
Embassy of Pakistan in Washington, DC
3517 International Court, NW
Washington DC, 20008
Phone: 202-243-6500, Fax: 202-686-1534
Ambassador Mahmud Ali Durrani: 202- 243-6500 Ext. 2000 & 2001
Email: ambassador@pakistan-embassy.org & ambassador@embassyofpakistanusa.org
Punjab University Administrators:
Dr. Muhammad Arif Butt
Vice Chancellor, Punjab University
Lahore, Pakistan
Phone: (92) 42-923-1098, Fax: (92) 42-923-1101
E-Mail: vc@pu.edu.pk
=================
TEXT OF PETITION
Attention:
General (Retd.) Pervez Musharraf
Islamabad, Pakistan
Mr. Musharraf:
We, the undersigned, are appalled by the charges brought against 14 faculty members of the Punjab University under sections 124-A, 188, 143/149 and 16-MPO. They have been charged with sedition and provoking the masses against the government for its action of imposing emergency and promulgating the PCO.The charges against the Punjab University faculty were registered after the said academics organized and participated in demonstrations against the promulgation of emergency and abrogation of the constitution. These were peaceful protests held inside the campus. We demand the withdrawal of the charges against the faculty members of Punjab University.
We are also appalled by the restrictions on academic institutions and civil society in general including the ban on open debate in all colleges and universities, as well as the curbs on constitutional rights of freedom of assembly and association of the citizenry of Pakistan. University campuses are supposed to be the center of political debate and activity, not zones of repressive censorship. The undersigned condemn the curbs on free speech and attempts to silence voices through intimidation and harassment. We also condemn the suspension of the constitutional rights of freedom of assembly and association. The ban on political debates on campuses is a violation of the most basic tenet of academic freedom; we demand that this ban be lifted immediately.
We express solidarity with our colleagues at Punjab University and all those in Pakistan engaged in the just struggle to end the state of emergency and restore the constitution and the rule of law in Pakistan.
The Undersigned
cc. Pakistani Embassy in Washington, DC
Vice Chancellor, Punjab University
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(courtesy Dr. Awab Alvi)
PakistanisMy name is Amer Nazir. I live in exile in London. It is a forced exile. I left Pakistan as soon as NAB took my name off the Exit Control List after a period of three years. If I had not left, probably I would have also disappeared forever like my best friend Ahmed Shujaudin – a leading architect.
I intend to write about my journey from a modest middle-class background to one of the top IT entrepreneurs of Pakistan before I fell to the extent that I became homeless. Once a familiar face in the so-called corporate social circles in Karachi it came to a point where no one was willing to take my phone call – after all, I was a NAB accused. I was never to be convicted but it did not matter. The logic was straight forward. If Shuja had been kidnapped then surely Shuja must have done something terrible to cause it or else at least deserve it…
The scope of these four narrations hopefully to be published during the next four weeks is to narrate a very brief account of my business journey, my labour of love, after a briefest possible introduction of myself, the major space will be given to my NAB experience, the actual inside account, and the behaviour and the attitude of our kings of the castle.
The hope is that some of you may see a part reflection of your own lives in this account and it may perhaps help you in some way. Another hope is that once it reaches the Free World and once fully investigated the world will realize that the common Pakistanis have never had the chance and that they deserve an honest break. There is also this hope to try and shame the shameless. And last but not least, and though it is a long shot, perhaps even Musharraf may realise the extent of damage he has done. He may finally understand, that although it is true for every institution, but especially when it comes to matters of justice, a self-designed system, a crude accountability set-up which is from day one formed on principles that are outside universally accepted rule of law – is soon bound to become abusive and corrupt itself…
For the non-Pakistanis, NAB is the acronym for The National Accountability Bureau. The flag ship of Musharraf. The main reason he gave for assuming power. He said that the nation had become too corrupt. NAB is composed of serving and retired army officers with unlimited powers. They are answerable to none . Present in every major city, each NAB office has a jail within its compound where prisoners are kept without any possibilities of bail. Some of them picked up from the streets, most from their beds at dawn. Several have died during interrogations…
And lastly, my narration will detail how a proud Pakistani was forced to claim asylum in his wife's homeland. Who although married to a British national for twenty years had never applied for the British nationality and had instead sponsored his wife for the Pakistani nationality instead…
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Source: The Post
PTI condemns Aitzaz's arrest | Lawyers to give tough time to govt: SCBA
LAHORE: The legal fraternity here on Monday announced to observe a black day on December 26 in protest against the manhandling, torture and detention of Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) president Aitzaz Ahsan.
SCBA media advisor, Azhar Siddique talking to The Post said the lawyers condemned the re-arrest of SCBA president, adding that the community in question would observe December 26 as black day, in protest against the humiliation and manhandling of 'our' leader Aitezaz Ahsan.
Meanwhile, Lahore Bar Association Secretary Shamim-ur-Rehman Malik in a statement issued here on Monday also stated that the LBA would observe a black day on December 26 in this regard.
He said the deposed Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP), Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry in an Eid greeting message to LBA lawyers said, "We wish for the supremacy of the Constitution and independence of judiciary in the country.'
He saluted the lawyers for their continuous struggle in this regard and goaded them on to continue their movement to help restore a democratic set up. LBA president Syed Muhammad Shah vowed to continue the movement for restoration of deposed judges, supremacy of constitution and rule of law, saying the CJP's message 'helped boosted our morale.'
"We have the courage to face any hurdle," he said, adding that the decision to boycott the coming general elections was pure as it would have been all 'selection' and never elections.
Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) Central Secretary Information (CSI) Admiral (r) Javed Iqbal has condemned the re-arrest of SCBA President Aitzaz Ahsan on Eid-ul-Azha and termed it the worst example of dictatorship. Javed Iqbal, in a statement issued here on Monday, said that government could not suppress the movement for the independence of judiciary and restoration of true democracy in the country by using such coercive tactics.
He said that government ridiculed the constitution and violated basic human rights and he added that PTI would continue its struggle for the independence of judiciary, supremacy of the constitution and respect of human rights.
Lawyers will give tough time to government by launching an extensive agitation movement and buses carrying judges will be run across the country for the independence of judiciary and release of detained judges and lawyers. On the call of Pakistan Bar Council all bar associations will observe Black Day on Wednesday (tomorrow) against the inhuman treatment with Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) President Aitzaz Ahsan.
SCBA Secretary Amin Javed announced this here on Monday at a press conference held at Punjab Bar Council.
Amin Javed condemned the torture of Aitzaz and his family members on Eid night. He said Pakistan Bar Council, Punjab Bar Council and Supreme Court Bar Council along with other bar associations would stage protest rallies to observe Black day on December 26. Lawyers all over the country would boycott courts and wear black armbands to register their protest, he added. Advocate Shaukat Ali, who was with Aitzaz Ashan at the time of his re-arrest, told the details of manhandling of Aitzaz Ahsan by officials of police and agencies. "Police dragged Aitzaz into a van and hit him on his face and later took him to some private place and subjected him to torture", he said.
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SUKKUR, Pakistan, Dec 24 (Reuters)
President Musharraf made the country an international laughing stock by purging the judiciary after he imposed emergency rule in November, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif said Monday. Sharif took his campaign for January 8 elections to Sindh province. “Musharraf has made us a mockery by sacking the judiciary,” Sharif told a crowd of about 3,000 at a rally in the main market area of Sukkur town on the Indus river. “We are a laughing stock all over the world, even in India. We have to liberate our country of dictators,” he said. Of the judges ousted by Musharraf, Sharif said, “these judges are our heroes…it is our commitment that we will restore these judges at any cost.” In Sukkur, flags and posters of Benazir's party bedecked walls around the market where Sharif spoke. He did not appear hopeful of winning seats in Sindh. “We've never won a National Assembly seat from Sukkur but I still love the people of Sukkur and Sindh ... they've always supported the democratic forces,” he told the crowd.
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By John F. Tierney and Aitzaz Ahsan
(InformPress.com) - One of us chairs a House of Representatives
subcommittee tasked with oversight of U.S. foreign policy and one of
us languishes under illegal house arrest after transfer from a
Pakistani jail for the "heinous" and "seditious" crime of
representing, in legal proceedings, the illegally sacked Chief Justice
of Pakistan's Supreme Court, Mr. Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.
As members of the political opposition in our respective countries and
as lawyers firmly committed to the rule of law, we have a few
questions for our [tyrannical] heads of state:
-- How will you address the increasing anti-Americanism in Pakistan in
light of the growing, and not unjustified, perception among Pakistan's
democratic moderates that the United States is not willing to stand
with the people of Pakistan against an increasingly authoritarian and
anti-democratic government in Islamabad?
-- How will you respond to the inevitable international condemnation
of a parliamentary "election" in which journalists are muzzled;
political parties are prohibited from campaigning; Pakistani military
and intelligence services visibly enforce an atmosphere of
intimidation; and opposition leaders are unlawfully exiled, illegally
jailed or placed under unlawful house arrest?
-- How do you expect to effectively compete against PMLQ-MQM ideology
when U.S. education funding to Pakistan is one-fifteenth its military
support and Pakistani funding for public education remains woefully
inadequate? Thirteen million Pakistani children ages 5 to 9 -- out of
27 million total -- are not enrolled in school at all, leaving them
exposed to extremist PMLQ-MQM mentors.
-- How do you expect to combat the PML-Q and MQM cancer spreading from
Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) into the
Northwest Frontier and Balochistan provinces of Pakistan when the
Pakistani military is busy pointing its guns at judges, lawyers,
journalists, political opponents and human rights advocates?
-- How do you expect to muster the political fortitude and legitimacy
to fight extremist MQM and PML-Q forces when you have alienated the
center-left and center-right -- the more progressive components of
Pakistani society?
The people of Pakistan and the people of the United States deserve
honest answers to these vexing questions. They are long overdue.
Mr. Bruce L. Braley
Member, Congress of the United States
U.S. House of Representatives
1408 Longworth Building
Washington, DC 20515 USA
Dear Congressman Braley:
(InformPress.com) - I refer to your letter of November 20, 2007 to President Bush.
I am writing to express my gratitude for your strong stance on ending the state of Emergency, restoration of Constitution, release of all political prisoners and protection of Opposition leaders in Pakistan. I was deeply touched by your words, especially demanding my release from prison.
As you know, Pervez Musharraf has announced that his government will be holding general elections in Pakistan in January 2008. I would like to bring to your attention factors that will render the elections farcical resulting in a non-representative and ineffective Parliament.
1. Consolidation of Powers in the Office of the President. In the last eight years since taking over the government through a military coup, Musharraf has systematically removed all systems of checks and balances that are essential to the working of a [real civilian] democracy. Specifically, through the [illegal] 17th Amendment in the Constitution, he has also taken over many powers that should be resting with the Prime Minister in our parliamentary form of democratic government. A recent Gallup poll suggests that 82% of Pakistanis want Musharraf to go.
2. Subversion of an Independent Judiciary. The only thing standing in the way of Musharraf and absolute power was an independent judiciary under [Pakistan Supreme Court] Chief Justice Iftikhar [Muhammad] Chaudhry. By illegally declaring Emergency rule (actually Martial Law), Musharraf [unlawfully] removed all the independent judges (60 out of a total of 95) from the senior judicial system of Pakistan and replaced them with relatively unknown people who are widely perceived as his allies. With all the independent judges under arrest, who will monitor the elections and provide justice to the aggrieved parties?
My political party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf [PTI] - along with several other major political parties in Pakistan and civic groups all over the country - have decided to boycott the upcoming elections until and unless [all] the independent judges are restored to the pre-November 2, 2007 status.
Congressman Braley, I request you to educate and inform your colleagues in the United States Congress that without the restoration of an independent judiciary, elections in Pakistan will neither be fair nor acceptable to a majority of Pakistanis and will lead to further unrest and turmoil.
I write to you, not as a politician, but as an individual concerned about the fundamental rights of a people of the world to another who shares his concerns.
Once again, thank you for your efforts in requesting for my release.
Warmest Regards,
IMRAN KHAN
Chairman
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)
(Movement For Justice)
Central Secretariat 11
Street No. 46, Sector F-7/1
Islamabad, Pakistan
Telephone: 92-51 227-0744
Fax: 92-51 287-3893
PTI: http://www.MoveForJustice.org
PTI Lahore: http://www.ptilahore.org
Ref: http://informpress.wordpress.com/2007/12/05/imran-khan/
