HYDERABAD, May 16: Activists of political parties and NGOs under the banner of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan staged a demonstration outside the press club here on Monday in protest against police atrocities on HRCP chairperson Asma Jehangir, secretary-general Iqbal Haider and others in Lahore. Activists of the HRCP, Sindh Development Society, Qasimabad Action Committee, STPP and Azad Hari Union condemned police excesses against the rights activists.

Parveen Soomro, Nasreen Shakeel Pathan, Ghaffar Malik, Mehboob Abro, Muzzafar Kalhoro and Master Laljee said excesses by the Punjab police against peaceful citizens had crossed all limits.

They said such actions would encourage extremist elements in the country and defame Pakistan at the international level.

They demanded that a probe should be held into the incident by judges of the Supreme Court.

They said creating awareness among people about their birth rights could not be stopped through state terrorism.

They said ‘enlightened moderation’ should begin from police and judiciary instead of expecting tolerance from non-state factors.

They said the human rights activists would continue struggle for the restoration of human rights.

The deputy opposition leader in Sindh Assembly, Makhdoom Jamiluzzaman and Ms Sassui Palijo MPA have condemned police atrocities against the HRCP chairperson, Ms Asma Jehangir, secretary general Iqbal Hyder advocate and other rights activists including women in Lahore and termed it as state terrorism.

In a joint statement faxed to Dawn, the People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPP) leaders said that police excesses against the rights activists and humiliation of women was not only a violation of the constitution of Pakistan, but also of the UNO human rights charter.

They linked the attack on rights activists with the attack on PPP activists in Lahore.

They regretted that they were not allowed to raise the issue of human rights violations on the floor of the Sindh Assembly.

They said that this had fully exposed the enlightened moderation of General Pervez Musharraf and his allies.

They branded the treasury bench members as extremists and added that the government, which was functioning under the military baton, was trying to gag the voice of civil society for human rights.

Our Thatta Correspondent adds: A large number of the People’s Party Parliamentarians women wing’s workers staged protest demonstrations and stage a sit-in in front of the Thatta Press Club condemning the police brutality against HRCP activists in Lahore on Saturday.

They blocked the main National Highway for over two hours.

Led by PPP MPA Humaira Alwani, senior vice-president of the PPP women’s wing Rabia Palijo and Rehana Laghari, they chanted slogans against President Gen Pervez Musharraf for the ‘hollow claims’ of enlightened moderation.

Speaking on the occasion, Ms Alwani said that police violence against peaceful human rights activists has unmasked the true faces of the rulers.

She said that the government was targeting the liberal forces of the country and added that the Lahore incident was a clear indication that the government had failed to protect basic human rights.