Labour Party Pakistan to welcome chief justice in Lahore

Farooq Tariq

May 4, 2007

Labour Party Pakistan along with several social organizations and trade unions will warmly welcome chief justice of Pakistan to Lahore. Chief Justice Iftikhar Ahmad Choudry is invited by Lahore High Court Bar Association on 5^th May to address the advocates. The Bar Association has formed various committees to finalize the arrangements of the welcome. The Bar wants political parties, trade unions and civil society organization to participate in this welcome.

Labour Party Pakistan has responded to the movement of the advocates for justice and democratic restoration from the day one of the movement. On 3^rd may, LPP leaders assured the Bar leaders in a meeting held at Lahore High Court for full participation of LPP activists. So have several other opposition political parties.

LPP activists will gather at District Court gate at 4pm and will join the main welcome rally. It is expected that thousands will welcome the chief justice who had challenged the writ of the government.

He has refused to resign despite general pressure. Now the case of the government against the chief justice is heard at Supreme Court of Pakistan. Over 90 percent of the total 80,000 advocates has protested against the action of the government. The movement has since then expanded and now it has become a movement to overthrow the military regime.

Chief Justice has refused to come by air as was advised by the government. This move of the government was to stop the historic welcome to chief justice on his way to Lahore. He is coming first time to Lahore after the action of the government against him.

 Labour Party Pakistan public meetings in support of lawyers’ movement

Farooq Tariq

April 26, 2007

Labour Party Pakistan is organizing its third public meeting today on 26^th April at Gulistan Colony Dhahrampura Lahore in solidarity with the advocates movements. LPP had organized two public meetings earlier on 17^th and 19^th April in two localities of Lahore.

These meetings are part of LPP strategy to take the case of the advocates into the working class areas. This is to expand the movement for democracy initiated by the advocates across Pakistan. In Shahdra on 17^th April and Jorra Pul in Lahore on 19^th April, hundreds of ordinary working people attended the public meetings. They were in total support of the avocets and listened LPP leaders with enthusiasm and raising slogans.

Today public meeting will be addressed by Asma Jahangir chairperson Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and Ahsan Bhoon president of Lahore High Court Bar Association alongside with LPP leadership.

LPP strategy to expand this movement to the localities has been supported by Munir A Malik president of Supreme Court Bar Association when he said in a press statement that political parties should mobilize their own communities in support of the advocates. He said it is not enough to join the demonstrations of the advocates by the political parties activists.

The LPP poster in support of the advocates can now be seen in almost all the bar association. The poster has been praised formally by different bar associations including Sind High Court Bar Association and Pakistan Bar Association. The poster is a hit among the young advocates across Pakistan.

 Labour Party Pakistan announces the nationwide movement against the regime

Postpone congress to join the advocate’s movement

Rallies on 26^th March in six cities

Farooq Tariq

March 22, 2007

Labour Party Pakistan has postponed its scheduled three days congress. The congress was due to be held from 24-26^th March at Lahore. This is to join the mass movement against the military regime. The decision was announced by Farooq Tariq general secretary Labour Party Pakistan at a press conference held today 22^nd March at Lahore Press Club. Azra Shad, chair person Women Workers Help Line and Mohammed Yousaf Baluch chairman National Trade Union Federation Pakistan also spoke at the press conference.

Farooq Tariq told the press conference that the LPP congress preparations were complete. Over 200 delegates was scheduled to participate in the fourth Congress of LPP. But due to the urgency of the situation, LPP leadership after consultation with the National Committee decided to postpone the congress for a month.

“LPP will take out a rally on 26^th March from Lakshmi Chouck Lahore to Lahore High Court. At 3pm to protest against the militarization of Pakistan. The rally is organized in solidarity with the advocates. Similar rallies will be taken out on the same day in Karachi, Peshawar, Gilgit, Moro and Multan by LPP activists” he told the reporters.

The LPP leadership welcomed the decision of the Alliance of Restoration of Democracy ARD to launch a nationwide movement against the regime on 26^th March. They told the media that LPP will join the rallies of the ARD where ever is possible and appeal to the working class in Pakistan to join the movement against the high headedness of the military regime.

“we welcome ARD decision not to go along with the religious fundamentalist during the movement, the MMA, the main alliance of the religious forces have cooperated with the military regime at every crucial times. They will again back down at decisive times” Faroq Tariq told the media.

“We support the movement of the advocates because they have challenged the writ of the regime in a very effective way. We welcome the decisions of the chief justice Iftikhar Choudry in favor of the working class but want to make it clear that we are not in the movement to make one person hero; this is a movement to overthrow the military regime. We appeal to the trade unions, radical social organizations and progressive political parties to unit and launch a mass movement against the regime. We have not used a different day than that of ARD as we want to have a united movement”. Farooq tariq said in the press conference.