Excessive and Unjust Use of Anti-Terrorism Act Against Political Activists

Announcement of National and International Protests for the release Baba Jan and other Imprisoned Political Activists

Labour Party Pakistan will picket the Pakistani Federal Parliament while international activists will picket Pakistani embassies in 20 countries around the world

Journalist Friends,

We thank you for your presence.

Baba Jan (member of the federal committee of Labour Party Pakistan) and four other activists, Iftikhar Hussain, Rashid Minhas, Amir Khan and Sher Khan; have been imprisoned in various jails in Gilgit since September 2011. They have been charged under the anti-terrorism act. However, they have not committed any crime but are being victimized for their support of the Attabad Lake victims.

Baba Jan campaigned for the granting of compensation for the victims of the Attabad Lake disaster.

In August 2011, at one such protest, the police were instructed to disperse the crowd. At first there was a lathi-charge, after which tear gas was fired. Despite the police brutality, the protestors persisted in their peaceful demonstration, to which the police responded by firing bullets into the crowd. Afzal Baig, a young student was shot dead. When his father went to recover his body, he too was shot, and later died. Instead of charging the police officers and bureaucracy responsible for these murders, the Gilgit-Baltistan administration filed false-cases against more than 100 political activists, including Baba Jan. It is on these charges that Baba Jan has been imprisoned for the past 9 months.

Likewise, in Faisalabad, 6 labour activists; Fazal Elahi, Mohammed Akbar, Rana Riaz, Malik Aslam, Babar Randhawa and Ali Asghar Ghaffari; have been sentenced for 590 years in total, by an anti-terrorist court, again under the Anti-Terrorist Act. However, the Faisalabad 6 are not terrorists, but power-loom workers and labour activists. An appeal has been filed in the Lahore High Court. In this case, as well as that of Baba Jan, the anti-terrorist act is being abused.

The Labour Party Pakistan today announces a national and international campaign against the growing tendency to use the Anti-Terrorist Act against ordinary protestors, workers, peasants and political activists. We are announcing five actions of protest to take place over the next four months:

• 15-17^th June: 3 day hunger strike camp in front of Karachi Press Club, Karachi, Pakistan.

• 20-27^th June: An international week of action will take place during which activists will picket 20 Pakistani embassies around the globe.

• 27^th June-4^th July: A national Week of Action will take place during which the Labour Party Pakistan will carry out Protest Actions, Hunger Strike camps and Pickets across the country.

• 4^th July: Labour Party Pakistan along with activists from various political parties will march in the thousands to parliament from Aabpara chowk.

• 18^th July: A multi-party conference will take place in Islamabad focusing on the issues of Gilgit-Baltistan.

The Prime Minister of Pakistan repeatedly lies when stating that there are no Political prisoners in Pakistan. At present there are 14 political workers of the Labour Party of Pakistan languishing in prison cells in Faisalabad and Gilgit. The anti-terrorist act is being used unjustly. Whether citizens are protesting against load-shedding, lawyers for democracy, workers for fair wages or natural disaster victims for compensation as in the case of Attabad, the anti-terrorist law is immediately mobilized to stifle their voices.

We demand the immediate cessation of the misuse of the anti-terrorist act and the release of Baba Jan and the Faisalabad 6.

If our demands are not met, our protests will continue beyond July.

Joint Press Conference

Younas Rahu, general secretary LPP

Bukhshal Thalho, general secretary LPP Sindh

Farooq Tariq, member federal committee LPP

Irfan Choudry, president National Students federation

Rana Mohammed Aslam, member LPP Punjab