KARACHI, April 16: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has condemned harassment and subsequent arrest of a large number of the PPP leaders and activists who were on their way to Lahore to receive their leader, Asif Ali Zardari, and has demanded their immediate release.

Speaking at a hurriedly called press conference on Saturday at the HRCP office, HRCP office-bearers demanded compensation to the victims.

Those who spoke at the press conference included HRCP Sindh Vice-chairperson Zohra Yusuf, Secretary-General Iqbal Haider, council members Uzma Noorani, Amarnath Motumal, Asad I. Butt, Adeel Pathan, Perveen Soomro, Ali Hassan, Jam Saqi, Roland deSouza, and provincial coordinator Nadia Haroon.

They noted that the leaders and activists arrested, detained or maltreated included Naheed Khan, Safdar Abbasi, Sherry Rehman, Ruqqaiya Soomro, Farheen Mughal, Sassui Palejo, Shah Mahmood Qureishi, Syed Qaim Ali Shah, Fahmida Mirza, Shamshad Bachani and Zamarrud Khan.

The HRCP activists said that all roads leading to Punjab from Sindh, Balochistan, etc., had been cordoned off and a large number of caravans of PPP workers had been detained on the way to Lahore.

A large number of PPP workers had also been offloaded from Lahore-bound trains, they said, adding that even journalists had been subjected to maltreatment and manhandling at different places by the law-enforcement agencies.

The government’s actions, they added, appeared in violation of the constitutional rights of freedom of assembly, freedom of movement, freedom of association, etc.

They also condemned the government for pursuing double standards, and said that while other political parties, such as the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal and Pakistan Muslim League, were being allowed to hold rallies and take out processions, the PPP was being denied of a similar right. This proved the government’s discriminatory attitude towards a particular political party, they said.

They recalled that even during the dictatorship of Gen Ziaul Haq, his handpicked prime minister Mohammad Khan Junejo had not resorted to such immoral and illegal acts as PPP supporters had not been prevented from converging on Lahore to welcome Benazir Bhutto. “This government, however, under the benevolent dictator, is denying the masses of their basic human rights,” the HRCP activists deplored.

The HRCP headquarters at Lahore has constituted fact-finding teams which would visit different places in the province and collect first hand information.

Responding to a question about the HRCP’s role in a situation where MMA leaders and supporters were being arrested, Iqbal Haider said that the commission had fully supported the victims and opposed the arrests.