LAHORE, Nov 9: The Labour Party, Pakistan, has demanded unconditional release of PPP Chairperson Benazir Bhutto, ANP Secretary-General Ehsan Wyne, Supreme Court Bar Association President Aitzaz Ahsan, Human Rights Commission Chairperson Asma Jehangir, political workers, lawyers and civil society members and decided to join the movement against military dictatorship.

The party’s national executive committee, which met here on Friday with Moeen Nawaz Punnu in the chair, paid tributes to lawyers, political leaders, workers and civil society members detained for opposing the proclamation of emergency by Gen Pervez Musharraf. The committee was of the view that lawyers had played an exemplary role in the movement for restoration of rule of law, independence of judiciary and democracy in the country.

The proclamation of emergency and imposition of restrictions on media had exposed the false claims of rulers about democracy and shown the people how enlightened and moderate they were.

It asked the government to release all the political leaders and workers and lawyers, including LHCBA president Ahsan Bhoon, Sarfraz Cheema, Nisar Shah, Faiz Rasul, Ayaz Sindhu, Arif Anjum, Muhammad Shah, Khawar Bashir, Shamimur Rehman Malik, Ramzan Chaudhry and Irshad Muhammad, and called upon the workers and peasants to join their struggle against dictatorship.

The committee also decided that the Labour Party would join the long march of the PPP to Islamabad and protest campaign of journalists.

It also decided to continue efforts for unification of progressive forces for struggle against dictatorship.

Labour Party secretary-general Farooq Tariq and Muttahida Labour Federation president Yousaf Baloch were also among those present in the meeting.