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KARACHI, Nov 12: The leader of the opposition in the Senate, Mian Raza Rabbani, on Monday said that people would not accept “state terrorism” in any form and declared that the amendment to the Army Act was an extension of draconian laws.
Addressing a news conference at the residence of the Pakistan People’s Party Sindh president, Syed Qaim Ali Shah, Mr Rabbani said that the manner in which people all over the country had come out in protest revived memories of the Movement for the Restoration of Democracy (MRD). Condemning the continuing mass arrests of PPP activists and the use of brute force against participants of peaceful rallies, he maintained that the regime’s actions against political parties and civil society groups “reflected its fear of growing public unrest over the imposition of martial law.”
Demanding the immediate release in all provinces of his own party’s workers, activists of other political parties, civil society representatives, lawyers, and judges, Mr Rabbani urged the government to lift the curbs on the media and said that each violation of human rights would result in greater public unrest and violent confrontation. “The public has done nothing to deserve this draconian rule,” he commented, adding that “martial law is simply unacceptable.” Referring to the firing on poor protestors in Bhan Saeedabad, Mr Rabbani said the people had once again proved that they were not prepared to accept any sort of state terrorism, just as they had in the MRD movement.
Mr Rabbani said that the amendments to the Army Act were extensions of state terrorism and pointed out that the law had retrospective effect from Jan 2003. He observed that under these provisions, the trial of a civilian will not be open and that under the Army Act, the person being tried is only allowed an advocate as a friend, there to assist the accused. Furthermore, he added, the Evidence Act is not applicable.
The leader of the opposition in the Senate demanded the immediate lifting of the emergency, the doffing of General Musharraf’s uniform, the reinstatement of all deposed judges and the lifting of media curbs, in addition to the release of all detained political activists and leaders. He demanded that the government should lift the ban on private television channels and stop harassing the owners of the print and electronic media, as well as journalists. He also expressed concern over the health of the former president of the Supreme Court Bar Association, Muneer A. Malik.
Rejecting the notion that the arrest of PPP leaders and workers was ‘friendly fire,’ he said that the massive crackdown against PPP activists in the Punjab had been started by the Chaudhry brothers but his comrades were not afraid of such moves. Saying that his party was striving for genuine democracy, Mr Rabbani paid tribute to PPP workers and maintained that they were ready for the party chairperson Benazir Bhutto’s call to come on the streets.
Mr Rabbani said that the PPP had launched the movement for the restoration of democracy on Oct 18 when Ms Bhutto landed in Karachi and vowed that the PPP would continue its peaceful struggle until restoration of a genuine democracy.
Sindh PPP President Syed Qaim Ali Shah also condemned the government and said that the Sindh government had arrested more than two thousand PPP workers from the province. He pointed out in Karachi, only 47 PPP workers had been released on bail and many workers were in the prison.
Mr Shah alleged that in order to rig the upcoming elections, the Sindh government had started recruiting in the education department. He condemned the provincial government and said that the police had sabotaged peaceful PPP demonstrations in addition to having opened fire on the Bhan Saeedabad rally and injuring party workers.
PPP MNA Syed Kurasheed Shah also spoke on the occasion, while PPP Sindh Secretary-general Nafees Siddiqui and local leaders Waqar Mehdi and Saeed Ghani were also present.
