[thingist] Peaceful Anti-War Protestors Harrassed & Arrested !

[yasir ~يا سر]

 People's Resistance

 ** Peaceful Anti-War Protestors
 ** Harrassed & Arrested !


Saturday 30 May 2009
Karachi, Pakistan

*People's Resistance*, a civil society coalition of students,
professional and ordinary citizens strongly condemns police violence
and arrest of peaceful anti-war protestors in Quaidabad, Karachi
today, on grounds that the right to peaceful dissent has been
violated.

The march had been organized by The Jang Mukhalif Committee (Anti War
Committee) comprising several local groups that have been protesting
the army operation since August 2008. The committee included the
Bajaur Committee of Peoples Resistance, Labor Party Pakistan,
International Socialists, Swat Quami Ittehad, Anjumani-i-Buner, and
many neighbourhood groups.

At 6:15pm a disproportionately large police force, several hundred in
number, baton-charged the protestors and even the cart-pullers and
other people present in Quaidabad and later near Gul Ahmed Chowrangi.
Fifteen protestors were arrested and shifted to the Shah Latif Police
Station and Quaidabad Police Chowki. Panic spread in the area.

Seven of the fifteen people - the exact number is unclear - were
arrested from Quaidabad Chowk, in front of Hamid Hospital, and taken
to Shah Latif Thana. After the arrests, the police lathi charged and
dispersed the crowd.  The vicious and prompt action has been
videotaped. Rehana of International Socialists climbed into the
policewagon as they were taking Ali Hassan, Riaz, Salaam, and others
away.  Later Adaner and Shaukat were picked up and taken to a Police
Chowki, while they were only standing around. They were later brought
to Shah Latif.  Later, a few more people who were protesting the
arrests were picked up from Gul Ahmed Chowrangi, and taken to a police
station

The update from Tanvir who is at the Police Station is that they have
issued FIRs under Sectioin 188 of the PPC. But they have also said the
decision will be made by higher ups.  It looks likely that they will
be in the Police Station all night long. Shah Latif Thana is beyond
Landhi, on the right, on Shahrah e Faisal a couple of kilometers past
FAST Institute.  There are reports that they may be moved to anothet
police station during the night.

Those arrested include Dr. Riaz, Ali Hassan, Rehana Channar, Ali
Leghari, ,Asim Jaan of International Socialists, Adaner, Shujaat
Zaheer Khan and Salam of Labour Party of Pakistan, and Shoukat from
Jang Mukhalif Committee. Rehana Channar was later released.

The protest was held to demand that the government halt its operation
in Swat, Dir, Buner, and Waziristan. As the government tries to divert
attention towards just relief efforts, the Committee presses that the
war, the root cause of this immense human suffering, must be stopped.
According to Sartaj of International Socialists, “the operation has
resulted in the large scale expulsion of more than 2 million people
from their homes.  These people demand a peaceful return to their
homes and lands and relief work will only provide them with temporary
solutions.”  Moreover, he states that there are no official counts of
civilian deaths, estimated in the thousands, and there is absolutely
no hope that these people will ever be compensated for their loss.

Salaam, a member of the committee, says that the Taliban, the target
of this operation, will not be eliminated by military heavy
handedness; if anything, the operation will exacerbate the presence of
these militias which will regroup and find new recruits.

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People Resistance strongly condemns the brutal suppression of Peaceful
Dissent and violent harrassment on ordinary Citizens on the part of
the concerned authorities,
and demands the Immediate Release of those arrested.
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