Labour Party Pakistan National Conference 2007
27 October 2007
From: farooq tariq
Labour Party Pakistan National Conference 2007
9-10-11th November 2007 Toba Tek Singh
Labour Party Pakistan will hold its fourth national conference on 9-10-11th November 2007 at Toba Tek Singh, a district at central Punjab.
The conference was originally scheduled for 20-23rd March 2007. It was postponed to take part effectively in the advocate’s movement. The decision paid off. LPP participation in the advocate movement is very well appreciated by many among the movement. Several comrades were arrested during the movement and LPP took part in almost all the demonstrations of the advocate movement across the country.
The conference political document is been discussed by the units of LPP in different part of the country at present. The units will also elect the delegates to represent their areas in the congress.
The political agenda include:
1. International Perspectives:
2. Latin America, revolutionary politics and movements:
3. Climate Change and environment destruction:
4. Revolutionary politics in South Asia and perspectives:
5. Pakistan presents political and economical situation and perspectives:
6. Need for Study Circles:
7. Labour Party Pakistan organization Report and priorities
8. Elections: National Committee
The LPP conference will also vote some of the constitutional amendments proposed to improve the LPP internal democracy. It include proposal that no office bearer of the LPP will be elected for more than two terms that is four years.
It will also discuss the proposals to change the structure of the office bearers. The proposal is made by the National Committee of LPP to the congress that in future only secretaries should be elected, it include elections of secretary Labour, Peasant, Youth and Women and general secretary.
This is to invite you to attend the congress. It will give you a chance to meet first hand with those who are working in extreme difficult situation to build Socialist alternative.
The congress proceedings will be in Urdu but there will translations available in English language.
If you are unable to attend the congress, please send a message of solidarity to the congress to be read out in the congress.
Not arrested yet but facing dangerous situation
The day seventh in under ground life
10 November 2007 08:07:57 GMT
By: Farooq Tariq
The day seventh passed without my arrest despite several attempt by the police. During the last three days, we were able to hold a meeting of the leading members of Labour Party Pakistan, gave interviews to private television channels and to a private team working for CNN. We were able to fax a daily news to most of the news papers in Pakistan. \
Comrade Rabia Shahzadi advocate from LPP was on front pages of many papers after she threw stones on police who was tear gassing the Lahore High Court premises on Monday 5th November. A show of retaliation among the young advocates inspired many
Unfortunately, Labour Party Pakistan chairperson Nisar Shah Advocate was arrested in Islamabad on 7th November along some party activists after he led a demonstration of lawyers despite all the police threats. Nisar Shah is an advocate of High Court. He had practices for 10 years in Karachi. After the devastating earthquake in October 2005, he moved for two years to Kashmir. He originally comes from Kashmir and his village was also hard hit by the earth quack including loss of lives of his close relatives. He was asked by Labour Relief Campaign to move back to Kashmir to look after the work of relief and reconstruction. He helped successfully build 100 homes withing three months of the earthquake, the first one to be completed with the help of Action Aid International and Shirkat Ghah, a radical women NGO in Pakistan. He is in process of building the first Kashmir Labour Center at Paniola where a good piece of land is donated by locals for the construction of the first ever to be constructed labour center in Kashmir.
(Nisah Shah picture at BBC website after he led a demonstration in Islamabad, he was arrested next day)
He was recently asked by LPP to be in Rawalpindi and Islamabad to help build the social and political movement. He had started working as advocate in Islamabad to be more close to the advocates in movement. Here he is arrested after few days of public rebellion.
During the last three days of my underground life from 7TH November to 10th today till this morning , I was able to stay three nights at friend house with utmost security measures. I wan not on line from the house and did not made a single telephone contact from any number and sim from the house. I was walking to a marker around a kilometer to make telephone contacts and to open the mail for few minutes.
I would on my black berry and download all the emails at this place within minutes and then off the air.
Immediately after the first encounter on the police on 6th November, When I was just saved, I changed my name on the telephone line. I would call only very close comrades and friends from different sims within these days. This has helped to secure me for the time being.
On 8th November, while I was walking back to my place while I had covered my head with cap and to some extent my face with growing beard, suddenly one police van stopped next to me and it was red traffic signal. The police officer looked at my face with a full glimpse for few seconds. I thought he is trying to recognize my face that he might have seen some where. I was afraid that he will now come out. I had planned to run in case he comes out. In the mean time my face was just blank and I did not give him any impression of being afraid or saying him hello that I know him. I tread him with a full confidence of not knowing him at all. The drama was over in 20 seconds and I walked normally as I nothing has happened. As he moved away, I changed the rout immediately and started running in the next street to move away to another street.
The area I was staying was full police petrol all the time for many reasons. But It was only two times That I will come out of my place and walk to different net cafes for the email checking and writings. Although, my friend house had all the modern multi media facilities, but we had agreed that I will not be on line from the house.
We had also chalked out an escape plan in case of police at the house. He has told me several ways to leave the house from back doors. But I suggested that if police comes from the back sides as well, I will court arrest without resistance. We also discussed that while escaping from the back doors, I will try to do the room as no one was living here. I must tell you that I carry no bag, no cloths, wherever I go, I borrow cloths for the night from my friends and in the meantime, I get my cloth washed to wear it again next morning.
My friend knew that in many normal cases, when ever police come to house and do not find the person, they want to arrest, they take the house boss, the house made or any house adult apart from the women. My friend still took the risk and did not for a single moment tried to make me aware that he is doing something extra ordinary in my case.
The good news within three days was the changing attitude of Benazir Bhutto about the present with the present military regime. She has tried in exile to deal for a power sharing formula with military regime. But while in Pakistan, there was suicidal attack on her rally leaving over 200 dead. There was a massive negative campaign by the chief minister of Punjab against Benazir Bhutto during the time. Then Musharraf announced the emergency on 3rd November without her consent apparently. Most of the arrested advocates were from her party. It was all two much. While the first three days, arrests were made of any PPP activists but it all changed with Benazir coming openly against the military regime on emergency.
Her changing attitude was welcome by us in press releases and I announced in the media that LPP will participate with the long March planned for 13th November by PPP from Lahore to Islamabad. Although we had a severe criticism of her polices during the last months, because of soft corner about the regime, but we did go for the so-called conspiracies theories about Benazir and Musharraf being friends but hypocritically opposing each other to restore the respect of Benazir as a popular leader and the one who fight for democracy in any case.
Benazir oppositional statements against the regime have meant arrests of hundreds of PPP activists and their houses raided all over. It meant that Musharraf loosing friends and the opposition is growing.
On 9th November, when we would have been holding our fourth national conference, seven of us traveled hours to meet each other for a meeting at safe place to chart out our future strategies. We faxed press releases, invited a team of television team working for several channels including CNN to interview us and film how we are working in underground. They had made a contact with a friend to make a film of the activist working in under ground. They filmed our deserted but functioning office in the center of Lahore and they came to us. We have to take extra ordinary safety measures to bring them safely to the place we were working. After the filming of our activities within a room and a chat with us and not of the area or the house, we decided to leave the place immediately to avoid any unpleasant incident. But these two were our trusted friends for long time.
Earlier on day, I went to my home for 15 minutes after my partner Shahnaz told me that my son Abdullah is missing me very much. This was done after making sure that no one from the police in uniform or in plain cloths are around the place. I was here after seven days even I was in the same city Lahore. They were all happy and in absolute high spirit. No complaints and no hard talk. My son (7) asked me to stay home but When I explained what would happened, he still did not agree and told me that I will speak to you. But my daughter Mashal told me it will be ok and you can leave. In all seven days, I spoke once a day with my partner on telephone briefly. I changed my cloths and left happily.
I have changed my outlook after I was to a hairdressing person on 8th November after the chance meeting with a police officer. Although I had not many hairs anyhow but now it is totally different. It had not make much difference to my outlook but I had to do something, may be to satisfy myself alone.
There was some pleasant moments on 8th November afternoon when BBC and CNN were back to the air in Pakistan for the time being. I say Lucy Dousset of BBC broadcasting live programme from Islamabad. She only comes to a country with a grave situation and her arrival is an indication of the seriousness of the situation. I was happy to see LPP chairperson chanting slogans in Islamabad before his arrest. They tried to interview Asma Jahanghir at her place where is detained but only could speak for a few moment before they were whisked away by police. I got a message from Asma yesterday that I be in underground in any case and organize the movement.
Happy to see today’s papers with LPP news items welcoming the long arch of PPP, condemning all the arrests, demanding an immediate release and solidarity with the striking media people. The LPP news printed in daily Waqat today is an appeal to all the trade unions, working class and peasantry to join the advocate movement. First of such appeal appearing the main news media after the emergency is imposed. We have to rely on the print media for promoting our ideas rather than on electronic media which is off the air.
I also contacted some of the main trade union leaders to be involved in the campaign. Maybe some positive response will come. Some of the trade union leaders in Karachi have already been arrested. A trade unions, left parties and radical social movement in Karachi on 7th November has condemned the imposition of emergency and decided to participate in the movement.
On 9th November, our left alliance Awami Jamhoori Thereek meeting in Lahore could not agree on a day of action but agree to mobilize the masses. One of our leading comrades attended the meeting and put forward an idea of a day of united action across Pakistan. Two of the main leaders and members central committee of AJT, Yousaf Masti Khan (National Workers Party) and Nisar Shah (Laour Party Pakistan) are already in jail. Police is raiding the houses of many AJT leaders. Bilal Minto, son of Abid Hassan Minto the president of National Workers Party and convener of AJT has spent three days in jail before he was released alongside with other 70 social activists. He is teacher at elite university Lahore University of Management and Sciences (LUMS). The arrest of the three radical teachers alongside with him sparked a movement of students at the university.
According to one press report, over 5000 have been arrested so far in the movement. There are not enough places in the jails to accommodate all the political prisoners. Temporary camps have been set up in different jails. Many private houses have been declared as sub jails to put the prisoners. The prisoners are not been allowed visits by their relatives. No private food allowed for these prisoners. While I had been a recent guest at different jails during the last three months, I could imagine very well the plight of these arrested ones. Our hearts are with them. Sacrifices for democracy and socialism will not go in vain. We will get rid of the military dictatorship soon; I am convinced by the recent developments. How? We do not know but we will do it through our mass movement and sacrifices.
Run For your Life
11th day in underground life
15th November
By: Farooq Tariq
On 14th November, around 4.45pm, I had just got off a public bus and went to a net café. The owner told me that speed is very low and there is no use of sitting here. I went to another one, not far from the first place, the same answer. I came back to the main road to fetch a bus or take a rickshaw; I had not made up my mind where to go from here.
A police van came with several police men sitting in front and on the back seats. I saw them and tried to hide myself but they were there. The police constable sitting on the front seat and the driver were the same who had arrested me from my home on3rd June 2007. I immediately recognized them and had gone two feet behind a rickshaw.
The police constable recognized me as well but may be, it took him few more second to come to conclusion that it is me. I had a Peshawari cap on my head and Punjabi Parna (a sort of long cotton shawl to cover your head and body) on my shoulder. I was also wearing new glasses, not my usual glasses.
The Peshawri hat was just given to me by a comrade where we had meeting in the morning. As I was leaving the meeting place the comrade told me that the present arrangement to change your self is insufficient, why do not you take a Peshawari cap. I said yes but I can not find one. He said there is one at my place and my father used it. He asked his father for permission to give it to me and the old man was quite happy to assist me in this way.
As I went to the back of the rickshaws, I saw him asking the other to get off the police van. Here I had to decide what to do. It took maybe part of a second in my mind to decide that run for your life. It was the quickest reaction time. I started running and the police constables then jumped to their van to follow me.
I turned to one street an then to the next one, while turning inside to the first street available from the main road, I saw the police van coming to this side. This was one of my fine fast running, not on my usual running machine with 12 kilometer an hour, but may be over 20 kilometer an hour. I turned to second on and to the third one. I did not know the area very well. I had been to the area but not like this. I did not know where to go forward. People in street were watching with surprise what is happening. I was thinking to see an open door and jump inside but that was also not insight. It was like kilometer run.
I stopped for a second and suddenly, there was a person saying to me hello Farooq, how are you, he recognized me. He was walking in the street while I stopped for a while. I recognized him but the name did not come to my mind. I told him please get me inside a home immediately, police is after me. He did not hesitate for a second and it was like the third house that he asked me come in. He closed the door immediately and asked me to sit in a room. The door of the house closed but not locked so we just went in for no time.
Aslam, (a fake name) was here as teacher for two children. He had just finished his teaching and was leaving for his place. I knew him from early nineties. He was an industrial worker and then went to study and completed his master degree, a rare thing to happen here from a worker, and was a regular professor in a college at present time. He used to come to our study circles at the time. I had lost the contact and did not even remember him name when we met yesterday. He was happy to safe me for a while but worried what if the home boss come to know who I am. In the mean time, we heard the police van passing by. I was offered a glass of water.
He started teaching the two young students again and posing that something was missing from that day of the tuition. We needed that few decisive minutes to pass by safely. After fifteen minutes, he told me that there is another comrade living in this area. He has built a house recently, why do not we go there and you can leave afterwards. Aslam went out to see if police is still there. After being satisfied, we left the house to go the next street. The comrade was there fortunately and he did not recognize me. As soon as I took off my cap, he was bloody pleased and we had good tea and chat at his place.
Two years earlier, one of my closest friends from childhood, Mohammed Amjad told me in Amsterdam that I am going to die soon. He was always very straight to friends. Amjad was one of the original “gang of four” who started our group Struggle in 1980 during our exile period. He opted to stay in Netherlands and was running a Pizzeria restaurant in Amsterdam. He had checked my blood pressure, it was 160 110. My weight was around 89 kilograms and my belly was getting out of control. He said that I do not take care of my health, “how the revolution will come if I die early and not because God wanted it but because of my carelessness”. He warned me.
I always had good respect of him. I told him that I will do my best to change my shape and body. He gifted me a machine to check my blood pressure. I bought an exercise machine and started running on it gradually to six kilometers day, some time on 12 kilometers an hour speed. It changed my life. I would get up early. No dizzy days, I was active like I was in seventies and eighties. I reduced my weight by seven kilograms and sustained it. Exercise has become part of my life but with intervals of going to jail or visits.
It paid off yesterday. I was running like a teenage although I am 52 now. I was confident that they can not catch me. I was doing my regular exercise may be for this day alone. I had run for my life successfully.
I am not afraid of being arrested. I have faced police several times and was arrested without running. Most of my arrests were calculated risks. But now, my task is to organize the movement rather than going to jail as a defiant act by LPP. Chairperson LPP, Nisar Shah is already in jail. His arrest pictures made headline internationally and inside. He was arrested while fighting with police and resisting. He kept the revolutionary traditions and culture of resistance set by LPP and other revolutionaries during the last eight years in Pakistan and internationally.
But I do not want to be arrested at the time set by police and the state. Our effort is to set the agenda ourselves. Let us see how far this goes on.
It was around five pm already. I called some friends from my new sim. There was going to be a press conference at 4pm with LPP main leadership present at Lahore Press Club. I had called to a comrade at 4.35 to check if everything ha gone alright. She told me that it is ok and there was good press present and no arrest is been made while they were coming to the press conference. The press conference was addressed by Abid Hasan Minto, convener of the Left alliance and a very respected leftwing leader of Pakistan.
Around 2pm, while I was downloading my emails on my blackberry in a running bus, I got a call from Asharaf Chadar, the police officer in charge of LPP office area. He asked me what is planning of today’s activity. We had issued a press release of the press conference and possibility of a demonstration inside the Press Club building to avoid the arrests.
When I told about the press conference, he told me point blank, I will arrest every one coming to the demonstration. I had some good personal relationship with this police officer. He was the one who had arrested me from my office on 3rd May and kept me well at the police station for three days.
I asked him if he is ok and recovered and has come out of the hospital, he was injured on 5th November after the advocates retaliated to police tear gassing. I also told him that we do not police to beat us and we do not want to stone the police. He said yes I do not want that either but I am doing my job and not pleasantly. I asked him not to arrest any one coming for the press conference and I guarantee that there will be no demonstration today by us. I wanted to make sure that we are in the media on the question of emergency and our strategies.
We agreed on this and I called the comrades to tell that they can have safe press conference today but do not go for the demonstration. The bus was running and I stopped my regular mobile and went off the next bus stop. I could not trust any police officer. It was this background that I wanted to check if everything ha gone alright at the press conference and the police officer has kept his words. He did.
I left area after an hour at a rickshaw and decided that no more public buses to travel. I have now made alternative arrangements to travel inside the city that is more secure and safe apparently.
Earlier on the day, some of the leading members of LPP met and had a political discussion on the situation. It was agreed that Musharaf dictatorship is becoming more and more isolated. He is been facing a lot of criticism at home and abroad. We agreed under such repressive situation, LPP will not take part in the coming elections but will be part of the movement to overthrow the regime. We agreed to welcome Benazir Bhutto pleasant U turn against the military dictatorship and decided to contact PPP for a broader front alongside with Left and progressive forces. We also agreed on some actions.
We congratulated the young female activists to produce the two editions of our weekly paper Workers Struggle despite all the threats and intimidations.
I had to be more careful after the arrest of Imran Khan and other political leaders during the day. The police is haunting all the political activists like anything.
Meeting Benazir Bhutto: 14th Day in underground life
Fri, 16 Nov 2007
By: Farooq Tariq
I got a call at 7pm on 16th November from Asma Jehanghir office, “you must come tonight at 9pm at her place for an important meeting”. Chairperson of the most prestigious social institution Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), Asma Jehanghir was just released a day earlier from her house detention. I had many second thoughts of going their. “Police must be there and so on”. But, then decided to go in any case. I knew that it is something very important that is why only two hours earlier I have been contacted.
While at Asma residence, a constable stopped me and asked why you have come. If I would have come in a car, he might not ask that question. But I was on a motorbike with my helmet on. I told him to open the gate and I am invited by Asma to come here. He reluctantly opened the gate.
Inside, there were all the sign of an important meeting. Private guard, HRCP staff and others were there to check who have come. I was immediately told by Nadeem Anthony, the public relation officer of Asma that Benazir Bhutto is coming for meeting the civil society activists.
Inside the meeting room, there were several of close friends. Dr. Mehdi Hasan, a radical professor at a private university, he was instrumental in Farooq Sulehria radical shaping, Rabia Bajwa, the women advocate who has made headlines with her commitment to the advocate movement, My colleague and teacher in journalism from the seventies, Hussain Naqi, Fareda Shaheed, Gulnar and Mumtaz Khawar of Shirkat Ghah, a radical women NGO, Neelum Hussain from Seemorg, another women NGO, Journalist Abbas Rashid, Imtiaz Alam of South Asia Freem Medi Association (SAFMA), Samina Rehman and Rashid Rehman, aunt and father of Timur Reham of Communist Mazdoor Kissan Party (CMKP) Afrasayb Khatak of Awami National Party, leaders of Punjab Union of Journalist and several more were there.
Before Benazir Bhottu arrival, we were seated by Asma choice and I was among those sitting in the front row of 12.
Asma distributed a letter that was to be handed over to Benazir Bhutto titled “road map for democratic transition”. There was some discussion on the letter anf following 9 point agenda was approved
1- A democratic transition and a free and fair election are not possible under a government headed by General Musharaf in any capacity. He must resign from all offices forthwith along with the caretaker administration put in place by him.
2- The country must retune to constitutional rule for which the immediate lifting of the state of emergency and restoration of fundamental rights is a prerequisite.
3- The judiciary must be restored.
4- All curbs on media must end.
5- All detainees including judges, lawyers, political activists, students and human rights defenders must be released and charges dropped.
6- Amendments made to the 1952 Army Act by Musharaf must be immediately withdrawn.
7- And independent and credible Election Commission must be constituted.
8- The spread of violence by non state actors across the country has to be effectively countered through all possible means within the ambit of the law.
9- And independent commission must be formed to investigate widespread incidents of Disappearances, Torture and Arbitrary detentions during the Musharaf period.
There was some analysis of the present situation as well in the letter. We had some more suggestion on the conditions of the working class and polices of the present regime, but it were explained that we are only focusing the present situation and do not want to present a long letter. The letter was unanimously accepted as letter from the civil society organizations and individuals.
Benazir Bhutto arrived and media wanted a talk earlier than the meeting proceedings could start. She spoke to them briefly. I was meeting her first time after 1998 when a similar but a brief group of civil society organization met her in Islamabad before she went into exile on the question of the Shariat Bill that Nawaz Sharif government wanted to introduce in the parliament. We asked her to lend her support against this bill. It was a good meeting and we had a brief chat between two of us as she recognized me from my days of exile.
Benazir Bhottu was now an aging politician with some white hairs and looked tired. The meeting started with Asma explaining the reasons for this meeting. Benazir Bhutto said she has come here to listen rather to speak and wanted to know the opinion of the civil society. During the brief speech, she emphasized the formation of anew political alliance against the military regime. She also spoke the deferent aspects of the 1973 constitution that has to be reviewed.
Benazir Bhutto told us about her contacts with different political parties’ heads and her difficulties in forming an immediate alliance. “I have two hours talk with Nawaz Sharif, the former prime minister, yesterday and agreed on many points” she said. She also spoke her commitments to democracy and Pakistan. She referred to her talks with Musharaf and told us that it was for a smooth transition to democracy but Musharaf did not abide by his promises and now there is no question of talks with him.
She read the letter and said that she will come up with detail reply to this but she agrees the most of it. She made a categorical statement in favor of the restoration of judiciary, “they have shown a way forward and we must be with them. We can not leave it to the advocates but we must have a political movement s well” she said.
There was nearly hour and half of questions, contributions and her reactions sessions. It was mainly focused on policies and also on the building of the united movement.
I welcomed her detour and told her that it is very welcome detour. We were all unhappy and critical about your talks with the military regime. But that is over now and we are happy. . She smiled on my “detour” word.
I told her about the sheer corruption under the present military government, plight of the working class and peasantry, the price hike, the land mafia, the Okara struggle of the peasants, the arrests and fight back and need for a broader alliance to fight the regime. I said we do not trust at all the American and we have to build a movement to overthrow this government. I told her some figures of price hike and said the issues of poverty, unemployment and labor conditions have not become your priorities. You have only reached the middle class but working class has to come in the field. They are not in the movement because there is not much in your program for them.
She heard me patiently and said yes, I agree with you on the points and it is a question of bread and butter that has to be the main issue. There were several others who referred to these points and it was a live discussion.
I left at the last moment of Benazir Bhutto sum up to meet Naheed Khan, her secretary and a former member of parliament, who was outside the meeting hall to take some telephone calls,. We had a brief chat and she was happy to see me again. We had some time together in exile during the early eighties. She invited us for the meeting of political parties on 21st November in Karachi. I told her that over 200 activists from AJT, the Left alliance, has been arrested and still more to go jail. While I was still talking to Naheed Khan, someone asked her to rush to Benazir Bhutto car as she was already in the car.
The road out side was blocked by all the police vans that were there for security of Benazir Bhutto.
At the meeting, it seemed that most of the participants are reading my underground life stories. Every one I spoke asked me not to be arrested and organize the fight. A lot of references were made towards my great escapes.
Earlier on the day, I went to attend a meeting of Lahore Social Forum but I was late for the meeting and meeting was over. They were surprised to see me there. I met some of them and discussed the present situation.
Several political activists and advocates have been released on bail yesterday but the campaign goes on. More arrests are made and some arrested one are being released on bail. The most pleasant surprise came from the University of Punjab, where for the second day running, thousands of students are demonstrating against the behaviors of Islami Jamiat Tulaba (Islamic Association of Students) linked to Jamat-I_Islami. The IJT leadership kidnapped Imran Khan and then handed over him to police. There is rebellion at the campus after 30 years of religious fundamentalist occupation. We discussed some measure to intervene in this movement.
Women against Martial Law
LPP Women Protest demo in Lahore
19 November 2007
From: farooq tariq
Labour Party Pakistan women staged a protest demonstration against Martial Law by General Musharaf at Laxshmi Chowk, Lahore on Monday, 19th November, 2007.
Despite the threat of being arrested, the LPP women activists wearing black head bands inscribed with GO Musharaf Go, were holding placards with slogans against imposition of martial Law. They raised full throat slogans against Musharaf and Martial Law. The slogans were “free Media and Judiciary”, Release political activists”,” stop crackdown and arrests”, down with Martial Law.
This was the first demonstration at Laxshmi Chouck, one of the busiest in Central Lahore.
People in large number gathered there to observe the women chanting anti-Mushraff slogans. They made victory signs and muster their support.
It may be mentioned that after the imposition of Martial law on Nov 3, there is complete ban on demonstrations, rallies and even meetings. A series of crackdown and arrested have been on in the last two weeks. Thousands of lawyers, social and political activists are arrested. The Musharaf regime has adopted a policy of zero tolerance against any sort of public protest. It is really difficult under the prevailing state oppression to organize any protest against Musharaf.
The situation demands the breaking of the silence and action to register protest against General Musharaf in Lahore particular. The level of repression is much greater in Lahore than other parts of Pakistan. The LPP women decided not to keep silent and a strategy was devised to organize a protest demo by all means. A meeting was called to discuss the strategy. The dominant view was in favor of a flash demo at the busy and rushy Laxshmi Chouck; Lahore was selected as the venue. It was decided not to issue press release of this demonstration before the demonstration and media would be informed only half an hour before the demo. All the women would meet at the certain point before marching to the demo point.
It was decided that in case of police action, all women will put up strong resistance and if they tried to arrest any of them, the rest of the all women will present their arrest.
The demo was continued for half an hour. Till the end of the demo, good luck to the demonstrators, the police could not reach the busy point. So women safely concluded their protest. Electronic and printed media duly covered the event.
* Known political activists, advocates not released
* Nisar Shah refuses to sign the affidavit of obedience
By: Farooq Tariq
The government claimed yesterday that they have released 3400 political prisoners. Earlier they were denying that they have arrested so many. But most of the political leaders and known activists are not yet released.
Labour Party Pakistan chairperson Nisar Shah has refused a government offer to be release on conditions. He was asked to sign an affidavit declaring that he will not be involved in political agitation in future. At Adiala jail Rawalpindi, he was offered to be release immediately if he sign this letter. He was asked several times and the officials told him that it is just a way to get out of jail. “You can do your activities while once you are out and no body will consider this letter under pressure” the authorities tried their best by such arguments.
Some of the political activists and those supporters who were arrested during the movement signed such letters and were released immediately. But Nisar Shah has refused to sign any such letter of shame. Nisar Shah was arrested on 7th November while leading an advocate demonstration in Islamabad.
His younger brother Waheed Shah and Labour Party Pakistan organizer in Rawalpindi Mumtaz Arzoo met him yesterday on 20th November, at Adiala jail and told the reporters later that Nisar Shah is on high moral. He has no regrets despite being in jail for the last 15 days. He wants the advocates to continue the movement till the end of dictatorship. He has asked all LPP, trade unions, social and Left activists to become part of the movement. Nisar Shah told them that he will never bow to the pressure of the military regime and would not ask any favor from the regime.
He is detained with five other advocates in cell number two. They have taken a similar position and have refused to cooperate with the regime.
Aitezaz Ahsan, the president of Supreme Court Bar Association who is also in the same jail but locked in the next cell to theirs has refused to be admitted in a hospital, a sort of favor to isolate the leaders from activists. He said I will not leave the jail while others are here.
At Karachi, trade union leader Farid Awan, Ayub Quresshi, Liaqat Shah, National Workers Party senior vice president Yousaf Masti Khan, Hasil Bezenjo president National Party and other political leaders are still locked and are facing sedition charges.
Please keep protesting
The successful women demonstration without many losses
More arrests and repression against journalist
The 18th Day in underground
By: Farooq Tariq
The best thing that happened during the week was a defiant demonstration of women belonging to Labour Party Pakistan. On 19th November, 14 brave women went to the busiest area of Lahore demanding an immediate end of martial law in Pakistan. They all were wearing black ribbons of their heads with slogans like no to Martial law, release political prisoners and solidarity with advocates and media.
One newspaper Daily Express Lahore reported on 20th November that LPP women waited for over 30 minutes for police but police did not turn up. The paper reported a disruption of the traffic on several roads because of the demonstration.
It was very well planned and every aspect went according to the planning. A demonstration in Lahore at any road means an immediate arrest and baton charge.
We had discussed the plan of this demonstration with a title “women against martial law”. It was decided that only those women should be at the demonstration that are ready to be arrested. They should not be arrested peacefully but a resistance will be offered to police. There will be no escape plan and no one should run away from the scene. The vehicles will only drop women at the place but will not be there to pick them up. This was to safe the comrades who were driving them. No male comrade will accompany them. But we will make sure that the demonstration is well documented. It will be all women show.
It was also agreed that the demonstration will last for half an hour, if police arrive then there will be résistance till the arrests. But we will not wait for the police after half an hour and would disperse afterwards.
It was discussed and agreed that two comrades will contact the media and will only disclose the place half an hour before the demonstration. We will not send any written invitation to the media. In the media, there is a large infiltration of the intelligence agencies and we did not want to take a risk that police should be there before our arrival. To our utmost surprise, no one from the media informed the police and the media was there in large numbers even before the demonstrators arrived.
There was another demonstration of Tehreek Insaaf of Imran Khan at the same time not far from this place. The TI had informed the media about their demonstration. A large number of police was there and as they arrived at Regal Chouck on main Mall Road, six of them were immediately arrested. Police did not expect another demonstration on the same time and they had no clue. The result was that it took time for police to arrive the place.
I waited eagerly at a safe place with another comrade to hear the outcome of the demonstration away from the place of demonstration. I was called by a journalist after 10 minutes of the demonstration telling me of women bravery and that there are intelligence agencies persons here taking photographs of the demonstration, but there is no police yet. He was pleased that many people are stopping and are waving to the demonstrators in happiness. Another journalist told me later that they were looking like Palestinian women fighting a repressive regime with utmost bravery.
A comrade in guise of a press photographer told me later that another journalist told him that 30 minutes gone and the women are still chanting slogans. Are they waiting for police to be arrested? This comrade immediately realized the timing and pointed to the watch hinting to one leading comrade at the demonstration.
She then declared to the press and to the people gathered at the place that we are leaving now, but will be back with more force, we are here to stay and fight, and we will not tolerate the military regime. We are working class women fighting a military regime and we have not much to loose but our chains.
No one was arrested much to our pleasant surprise. It was making a point without many losses. The demonstration has left a very good moral on all the comrades. It has given an extraordinary courage to all our male comrades. They will be on the move and you will hear that too. It was the first show of defiance by a Left group in Lahore where the level of repression is much greater than other parts of the country. The women led the way.
The same evening we had a meeting of leading comrades to discuss the political developments, the regime tactics and the responses of other political parties and our future course of action.
Another action of honor is been taken by Awami Thereek, one component of our Left Alliance the Awami Jamhoori Tehreek AJT (Peoples Democratic Movement). Till 21st November, over 300 activists of Awami Tehreek are been arrested in Sind province. They have a strategy of courting arrest at five district headquarters of Sind on the name of “fill the jails”. Every day five activists of AT are presenting arrests against the imposition of martial law. I had been several times in contact with the leadership of AT to discuss the outcome of the movement.
AT is mainly a Sind based radical organization and is led by Rasul Bukhsh Paleejo. Once in 2005, General Musharaf was asked by a journalist about his favorite politician in Pakistan. He named Rasul Bukhsh Paleejo as his most favorite politician in Pakistan. Paleejo has spent seen years in jail under General Zia Ul Had dictatorship in the eighties. At the age of 79, he is still very active.
On 18th November, we also heard the news of the arrest of Akhtar Hussain the former president of Sind High Court and secretary general of National Workers Party, another component of AJT. He was picked up from his house in Karachi early in the morning. Comrade Nasir Mansoor lives nearby. He went to the police station where Akhtar Hussain was kept in custody and enquired about the situation and showed solidarity with him.
During the last four days, since I wrote “meeting Benazir Bhutto, I have been little more open than I did during the early 10 days of the martial law. But there is terrible feeling of being watched all the times. I always look behind, who is coming.
Yesterday morning, I had to fax an article to daily Waqt (Time), a rising new bourgeoisie paper in Urdu, who asked me to write about the movement of students in University of Punjab for its editorial pages, I went out to a shop to do this. While I was there faxing the seven pages, a police van came and stopped outside. I was terrified inside. The police van had not come for me but they went for lunch to the restaurant next door. But sheer presence of police van made me very sensitive. A lot of thoughts, why they have come, why they are not coming inside to arrest me, who have informed them, where is the mistakes, is it the mobile I am using, is it the motorbike I am traveling and so on. I am becoming more of a psychological case. I am sometime up to my neck. Being in underground to hide myself is an easy option but that is what I am not supposed to do. I am in underground to play a role, to meet the comrades, contact them, talk to media if possible, motivate the contacts and party comrades, networking with all the friends inside and outside, replying to emails. Writing interviews, articles in Urdu and English etc for our Weekly Mazdoor Jeddojuhd (www.jeddojuhd.com) and other papers.
One of my foolish but lovely friends from Netherlands wrote me a mail in Dutch language and expected me to reply in the same language. I read and understood but the ability to write Dutch is no more. I had spent eight years in exile in Netherlands. I do not want to be in exile anymore.
The article on University of Punjab was printed today on 21st November, analyzing the recent revolt of students against the religious fundamentalist students who kidnapped Imran Khan and then handed over to police. I exposed the fascist nature of these religious fundamentalists and wrote about the future of the movement. The article is already very well read and the purpose served. Daily Waqat has over 40,000 circulations at present. It was to make contact with the new leadership of the student uprising and that was done today. I had been a student of this University in the seventies. It was marvelous to see over few thousand students demonstrating against the religious fundamentalist control of the University.
Today, I was invited for an interview with private channel AAJ (today). This was about the restriction on the media. Voice of America radio did an interview as well on telephone. I also gave an interview to Geo who is at present off air under the pressure of the military regime. Its transmission was aired from Dubai, but under the pressure of the military regime, the Dubai government asked GEO to close their transmission. Geo is the most popular private television channel in Pakistan. People are very angry and are speaking against the military regime.
The Punjab Union of Journalist (PUJ) invited me to a meeting this afternoon held at Lahore Press Club. This is the area where most of the demonstrations are taking place. A lot of police and intelligence agencies are always around the building. A journalist comrade imported me inside safely. I think no one noticed as I went in. The meeting was to discuss the yesterday beating and arrest of journalists at Karachi.
On 20th November, the police in Karachi arrested over 180 journalists who wanted to take out a protest. They were severely beaten up. A Karachi LPP leading comrade Sher Baz Khan along with several other comrades was with them. He was beaten up by police with the journalist and now has a broken hand; a fracture in hand will heal in weeks to come.
I refused initially to go to Lahore Press Club building for the meeting but then decided to take the risk. After two hours of meeting inside with food and tea, I had to climb a wall to leave the building from back doors. This escape rout from the Press Club was not known to me but known to most journalist and was known as “thief door”.
While I was still inside the meeting, the news came from Faisalabad that over 20 journalists are arrested and six of them are seriously injured while they were inside the Press Club building. Police used tear gas and baton charge against the protesting journalist. After Karachi, same repressive tactics were used in Faisalabad. We condemned the act and spoke to some journalists at Faisalabad to express our solidarity.
While I was at my place of stay for the evening, I got a call to speak at a press conference with Hafeez Khan, Imran Khan cousin, at Imran Khan home. Imran Khan is on hunger strike for the last three day at Dera Ghazi Khan Jail, around 14 hours from Lahore. He has not taken any food since and is on very weak health. We offered our full solidarity and promised to raise it everywhere, but I told them that I can not come for security reasons. We also informed the press to attend the press conference.
Public Again after 20 days of underground life
28 November 2007
Farooq Tariq
Since 23rd November, I am working normally. Most of the political prisoners were released and police raids were rare. According to Musharaf dictatorship, on 28th November, there were only 37 political prisoners in different jails and rest are released. The 37 include most of the main leaders of the advocate’s movement. I remained underground for 20 days and avoided arrest while still active in the movement.
This is a temporary interval. The dictatorship has got what they wanted. They wanted to get rid of the independent judiciary before they could announce the general elections and before general Musharaf final decision on his election as president in uniform. To do that, they had to arrest over 10,000 political, social trade unions activists and revolting advocates.
They had a positive decision by the hand picked judges of the Supreme Court on the issue of the president ship of general Musharaf. The dictatorship has even allowed Nawaz Sharif, the former prime minister of Pakistan, to return after seven years of exile. Saudi Arabian kingdom has played some mediatory role. The details of the deal have yet to surface.
On 27th November, Labour Party Pakistan organized two events for the release of the political prisoners. At Karachi, over 60 activists of LPP were in front of Karachi Press Club for a vigil to demand release of political prisoners and solidarity with the journalists. The picture of the Karachi LPP vigil was printed all over Pakistan in front and back pages of most of the main newspapers. The majority of the sixty activists of LPP were women at Karachi vigil.
On the same day in Lahore, over 200 activists took out a rally to protest the ongoing arrest of the advocate leaders and to express solidarity with the struggling media. They went to Lahore Press Club and then to the office of GEO, the private television channel that is still off air under the direct orders of the military dictatorship. Surprisingly, there were no arrests at the two events. But in Lahore, a large contingent of police was accompanying the demonstrators. At Lahore demonstration, there were over 80 women participants.
I could not participate in Lahore demonstration as I was in Toba Tek Singh, my home town, for the filing of the nomination papers to contest election for the national and provincial parliaments. Although the Awami Jamhoori Tehreek, the left alliance, has decided to boycott the elections under the present conditions of repression, but LPP wanted to make the boycott more effective.
The strategy was discussed and approved by the leading bodies of the LPP to file the nomination paper, get it accepted and then boycott the procedure after launching a mass campaign to boycott it. The Musharaf dictatorship has announced general election to be held on 8th January 2008 after the imposition of the emergency and after getting rid of the independent judges.
The elections are just a farce under the present repressive conditions. We had done some home work for my elections at Tobe Tek Singh including opening an office at one of the main area of the city. We had organized several meetings including one of the women where over 150 women participated. We had planned the fourth national conference at the city but had to postpone it for the second time. So it was not a good strategy to boycott the elections and do nothing.
For the national assembly constituency number 93, 12 candidates including myself have submitted papers to contest the elections. They are from Pakistan peoples Party, Muslim League Nawaz and Muslim league Q, Mutihida Muslis Ammal the religious parties’ alliance, Labour Party Pakistan and several independents. I went along with some of the senior leaders of the Left alliance to submit my papers to the returning officer who is an additional district judge. You had to be a graduate to contest the general elections. Less than one percent of the total population of Pakistan is graduates.
I was in Toba Tek Singh for two days and met some of the local party activists and friends to chart out the strategy. They all agree to boycott the elections.
Today on 18th November, I went to Lahore High Court to meet some of the leaders of the advocate movement. I met Sarfraz Cheema, the 32 year old secretary of Lahore High Court Bar Association who spent 17 days in jail and was released few days before. He told me about the brutalities of the police against the advocates. The police entered in their office to destroy the computer and fax machine on 5th November. Over 700 advocates were arrested on the day including him.
Later on the day, I spoke in one of Action Aid Pakistan seminar on poverty alleviation in association with Women Workers Help Line. The other speakers included Dr. Mubashar Hasan the former federal finance minister under Bhutto, Dr. Abdul Hai Baluch president of National Party, Rabia Bajwa advocate, Hasan Nasir from Revolutionary democratic Workers Committee, a part of Left Alliance and Bushra Khaliq secretary Women Workers Help Line. Earlier, Fikre Zwadie, the country director of Action Aid Pakistan welcomed the speakers for this political session of the seminar. All the speakers were against the emergency and for a boycott of the general elections.
Dr. Mubashar Hasan commented in his speech that Farooq has been arrested all the times because of the repressive nature of the regime.
I must thank all my friends and family in Lahore who has helped me in the most difficult period of repression. Without their full scale help, I would have not been out of jail. I also thank LPP members and supporters for all the help they could lend.
I also must thank all those friends and supporters from overseas for reading my mails and some time commenting with encouraging words. They include John Pilger (UK), Pierre Rousset (France), Tariq Ali (UK), Eric Toussaint (Belgium), John Hunt (UK), Phil Frampton (UK), Peter Boyle (Australia), Sue Bolton (Australia), Merrilyn Treasure (Australia), Silla Vriesma Netherlands), Elisabeth van Hoval (Netherlands), Lidy Nicpal (Philipine), Srilata Sawminathan (India), Roger Silverman (UK), John Reiman (USA), John Throne (USA), Richard Miller (USA), Ahmad Shawki (USA), Roland Ekbom (Sweden), Jan Hodann (Sweden), Toni Usman (Norway), Farooq Sulehria (Sweden), Asim Ali Shah (UK), Michel Eggermont ()Netherland), Hans Van Heijningen (Netherlands), Joost Kircz (Netherlands), Sue Bolton (Australia), Saqlain Imam (UK), Pam Curry (Scotland), Comrade Shahid (USA), Roger Silverman (UK), Sandeep Chachra (Thailand), John Samuel Thailand), Rashid Titumir (Bhangladesh), Taimur Rehman (UK), Frank Hazur (India), Kuldeep Kumar (India), Mohan Kumar (Australia), Tarek Fatah Canada), Alvin Dizon (Philipine), Chetan Patel (UK), Toqeer Ahmad (Canada), Dianne Feeley (USA), Qamarulah (UAE), Linda Waldren and Ray (Australia), Kenji Kunitomi (Japan), Dr. Mark (Russia), Silvana (Italy) and many more I like to mention but it is getting already a long list.
I also like to thank all those who have spread the news to other email lists, addresses and website. I have seen dozens of websites that have pasted these letters written during my underground time.
Good Books intends to publish these entire letters in a booklet with the only one picture of mine in a change get up that was taken by one of my close friend when I arrived to spend the night at their place.
I wrote all these stories in a very light manner with personal incidents and some political points. I have met many friends during the last one week in Pakistan who have read all these stories and were happy that they were in picture what was happening.
Ends
Workers strike back
Textile workers observed a 24 hours strike at Faisalabad
3 December 2007
By: Farooq Tariq
80 percent of half a million textile workers at Faisalabad district observed a 24 hours strike today on 3rd December. The workers were demanding social protection and an end of emergency in Pakistan. The strike was called by Labour Qaumi Movemnet (LQM), a textile and power looms workers organization in the district. This is the first major strike of the textile workers in a decade.
Over 2000 workers assembled at Faisalabad Press Club building despite blockade of the roads by the police. This was the same place where over 20 journalists were injured by police baton charge when they try to bring out a demonstration for freedom of press a week ago.
Today, workers leaders including Mian Abdul Qayum, Aslam Meraj and Rana Tahir warned the workers of police brutalities and asked if there should be rally to the office of the district mayor? It was a unanimous decision of the workers to take pout rally despite a real threat of arrests and baton charge.
The LQM leaders spoke against the military dictatorship and said the workers will not accept this emergency and will side by the advocates and journalists. They demanded an immediate end of the emergency and release of all the political prisoners. The meeting inside the Press Club went on from 11am till 2pm.
The workers leaders were told by many area leaders of a complete strike at the workplaces and no power loom unit functioning on the day. It was reported at the meeting that over 80 percent of half a million workers are on strike today. Many could not come to the rallying point during the strike because of emergency and police blockade.
Workers brought the rally in a very militant mood, but police officers had changed their minds already after listening to the determined speeches of the workers leaders. Perhaps they did not want to open a new front. The police did not intervene to stop the rally despite similar rallies of political activists had been brutally suppressed under the new emergency laws. It was an illegal rally with an eye to eye contact with police.
The rally took over the office of the mayor of Faisalabad and demanded the labour director to come and talk to the LQM leaders. The director after talks with the leadership announced to accept the main demand and told the workers that the social security cards will be issued to workers within one week.
Faisalabad is the third largest city of Pakistan after Karachi and Lahore. It is known as Manchester of Pakistan because majority of textile factories and power looms are based here. The textile industry is totally in private hands thus there are no real unions at factory level. LQM started its work in year 2004 and has become the organization of the textile workers. It had organized several demonstrations, rallies, hunger strike camps, occupation of labour departments and other militant actions during the last three years. The main leadership of LQM is member of Labour Party Pakistan.
The strike call on 3rd of December was announced in beginning of November 2007 just before the announcement of the emergency on 3rd November. It wrote letters to the Labour department and to the Association of bosses. The main demand was to register the industrial unit and the labour at the government social security department.
There are over 12500 small power looms unit in the city with more than half a million workers. Majority of the units have contract labour and the bosses have not registered the labour at the social security department.
Bosses have to pay not more than two US Dollars a month to register a worker at the social security department. In return, the workers can have free health facilities at some of the hospitals and some minor other concessions.
Posters and stickers to announce the strike were printed with the help of Labour Education Foundation, a radical labour organization, and were fly posted all over the city. The LQM warned in the posters that if demands are not met, there will be strike for 24 hours all over the city.
The LQM leadership organized a series of internal meeting and with the workers to chart out the strategy of the strike. They decided that they will not force any unit to close down but will try to convince the workers to come on strike voluntarily. Majority of the strike action in Pakistan during the past were not successful because of violence by the state and by workers themselves to make the day a success.
During the suppression of journalists and lawyers, the LQM leadership was closely associated with the movement and participated in all the demonstrations and so on. This was built solidarity among the workers of the city and to fight the military dictatorship of General Musharaf.
Today, after the blockade and announcement of the Labour director, the rally and the strike ended on a positive note. There were two workers who were injured during an attack by bosses’ gangsters and LQM leadership is busy after the rally to register a police case against the bosses.
LQM leadership has also put up two candidates to contest the general election that is to be held on 8th January. The two will contest as Labour Party Pakistan candidate. Labour Party Pakistan has decided in principle to boycott the general elections and demanded an immediate lifting of emergency and restoration of top judges.
The two candidates have filed the papers and their nomination papers are accepted already the returning officer. The date to take back the paper is yet to be finalized by LPP and all the candidates of LPP will take back their nomination papers to strengthen the opposition movement for the overthrow of the dictatorship.
8/9th December: Labour Party Pakistan National Conference 2007
2 December 2007
From: farooq tariq
Labour Party Pakistan National Conference 2007 Labour Party Pakistan will now hold its fourth national conference on 8/9th December 2007 at Lahore. The two day conference had been postponed two times during the year. It has been decided to hold the conference at any cost. It will not be postponed, even if a new round of repression starts by then. The conference was originally scheduled for 20-23rd March 2007. It was postponed to take part effectively in the advocate’s movement. The decision paid off. LPP participation in the advocate movement is very well appreciated by many among the movement. Several comrades were arrested during the movement and LPP took part in almost all the demonstrations of the advocate movement across the country.
The conference was then scheduled for second time on 9/10/11th November 2007, but this had to be postponed due to the large scale arrests of the political activists after General Musharaf declared emergency on 3rd November. The conference political document is been discussed by the units of LPP in different part of the country. The units will also elect the delegates to represent their areas in the congress. The political agenda include:
1: International Perspectives:
2: Pakistan presents political and economical situation and perspectives: 3: Need for Study Circles: 4: Labour Party Pakistan organization Report and priorities
5: Elections: National Committee the LPP conference will also vote some of the constitutional amendments proposed to improve the LPP internal democracy. It include proposal that no office bearer of the LPP will be elected for more than two terms that is four years. It will also discuss the proposals to change the structure of the office bearers. The proposal is made by the National Committee of LPP to the congress that in future only secretaries should be elected, it include elections of secretary Labour, Peasant, Youth and Women and general secretary. They will also elect a spokesperson at national level. The congress proceedings will be in Urdu but there will translations available in English language. We will be very happy if you could send a message of solidarity to the congress to be read out in the congress. If you have already sent one, please ignore this appeal.
Labour Party Pakistan fourth conference concluded
10 December 2007
By Mazdoor Jeddoujhd (Workers Struggle)
Labour Party Pakistan fourth conference concluded
New constitutional amendments to bring more internal democracy
Nisar Shah elected as new general secretary
More women comrades elected to National Committee
A staggering $ 9500 pledged by 126 delegates
Over 450 attended the public seminar by AJT
The two days Labour Party Pakistan conference concluded here last night with a big bang. Despite the imposition of emergency, 126 delegates and 35 observers attended the two days moot at the auditorium of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan in Lahore. The three sessions discussed the international, national and organizational perspectives with dozens of delegates participating in the heated debates.
Delegates from all parts of Pakistan arrived on a short notice of only 8 days. Not all the elected delegates were able to come but all areas were represented in the conference.
The conference started with reading of several solidarity messages received for the occasion. They included messages from Fourth International (France), CPIML (India), Democratic Socialist Perspective DSP (Australia), Europe Solidaire Sans Frontières (ESSF) France, CATDM (Belgium), Revolutionär Sozialistischer Bund (Germany), Labour Militant Voice (USA), Toni Usman (Norway), Afghan Labour Revolutionary Organisation (Afghanisatan), Olof Palme International Center (Sweden), Cuban Communist Party (Cuba), Revolutionary Communist League LCR (France) Japan Revolutionary Communist League(JRCL), Freedom Socialist Party (USA), International Socialist organization (USA), VAK (India), NSSP (Sri Lanka), GFont (Nepal) and several other individual messages.
The international sessions was mainly focused on Venezuela, the war on terror and its effect on Muslim countries, the imperialist globalization offences and fight back and climate change. Comrade Nasir Mansoor introduced the wide ranging discussion.
While several comrades making criticism of some of the constitutional changes in Venezuela, but stressed the international impact of the revolution and the need to defend it. Comrades of the view that it was heavy dozier in one go and the time was not sufficient to explain the essence of the reforms needed for the Socialist transformation of the society. Comrade hailed Hugo Chavez for standing up to all the challenges and accepting the outcome in democratic manner.
The discussion on national perspectives was mainly focused on the recent movement of advocates, students, social activists and media. It was agreed that Musharaf regime is a weak dictatorship and has not been able to win support among the masses by his so-called growth in the economy.
The emergency was imposed mainly to get rid of independent judiciary before calling the general elections. The delegates unanimously approved the leadership of LPP decision to boycott the fraudulent elections. It vowed to bring the working class in the main of the movement by mobilizing the trade union movement. Comrade Nisar Shah introduced the discussion on Pakistan and stressed the need to do all for an end of the dictatorship. He has recently been released after 18 days in prison.
The organizational session saw a very lively discussion on different tactics of the party building. It was agreed to help form a new student organization. The constitutional amendment to abolish the entire office bearer to a system of secretaries was approved unanimously. From now on, there will five secretaries including Educational and cultural secretary, Labour secretary, Women secretary, Peasant secretary and youth secretary at national, provincial and district levels. A general secretary will coordinate the work and spokesperson of LPP at national level will be elected.
The constitutional amendment that no office bearer at national level be elected more than two terms (four years) was narrowly accepted with a margin of 7 votes. After a heated debate, the amendment was put to vote and was accepted.
The LPP new flag was unanimously accepted by the delegates. 12 designs for the new flags were presented to the delegates and a flag with a single white star in a red flag with Labour Party Pakistan written was unanimously accepted by the delegates.
A finance appeal was launched at the conference raising over 500,000 Rupees (US$ 9500) in pledges. A women comrade who is leading a shanty town struggle for land rights announced Rupees 30,000 ($500) surprised every one to their pleasure. This raised the moral of the delegates to pledge a record amount. Never ever, such an amount was raised from one single event with only 126 delegates.
The conference elected a 21 National committee in secret ballet. 28 comrades contested. Out of seven contesting women comrades, six were elected. There were only two women comrades in the previous 21 National Committee. Comrade Farooq Tariq topped the list by receiving 98 percent of the votes followed by a women comrade Nazli Javed. The 21 member National committee represents all parts of Pakistan.
In a brief meeting of National Committee, Nisar Shah was elected as new general secretary, Farooq Tariq as national spokesperson, Nazli Javed as women secretary, Nasir Mansoor Labour secretary, Hakim Khan Bahadur as Peasant secretary, Amir Hussani as Education and cultural secretary and Asim Akhud as youth and student affairs secretary. A seven member’s National Executive Committee was also elected by NC. Talat Rubab who was elected to national committee was confirmed as editor of Weekly Mazdoor jeddojuhd. It was unanimous decisions to elect representatives for all these different posts.
The pubic seminar organized by the Awami Jamhoori Tehreek at the same place in the afternoon on 9th December was attended by over 450 with many youth from different organizations. The speakers included the leaders of advocate and student movement. Sarfraz Cheema secretary Lahore High Court Bar Association, Mohammed Shah president Lahore district Bar Association, Nisar Shah advocate, all three spending at least 18 days in jails addressed the jam packed auditorium of HRCP.
Sundes Hurrain of Student Action Committee told the audience that about the arrest of 15 students and advocates defending the home of Lahore High Court Judge who had refused to take oath under new PCO. “We have started a hunger strike camp and will continue till the release of the 15.
Comrade Farooq Tariq stressed the need for a mass movement of advocates, students, trade unions, peasants, women organizations and civil society as whole to build an alternative to the big parties who are taking part in the elections. This election is farce and we must not take part in it and convince masses to boycott the poll.
There was a lot of enthusiasm in the seminar, making it more like a public protest meeting. A lot of slogans were raised against the military dictatorship.
APDM boycott campaign started
24 December 2007
From: farooq tariq
Thousands of people attend today on 24th December, the first national rally held at Pesheen in Baluchistan. Mehmood Achakzai convener APDM declared that there are only two camps in Pakistan one of those who are contesting elections and those who are appealing for boycott. Those contesting the elections are in the camp of General Musharaf who is eager to legitimize all his dictatorial actions through elections. People will boycott and side with the lawyers movement which has become a symbol of struggle, he declared.
More such national public meetings are planned at Quetta, Hyderabad, Karachi Lahore and Islamabad during the next 10 days. The Punjab APDM met here today in Lahore to finalize the arrangements of the public meeting of 5th January that is to held at Minar_I-Pakistan. The Karachi meeting will be held on 30th December at Nishter Park.
The Punjab APDM decided to set up boycott camps at all divisional headquarters of Punjab and public meetings at all the cities of Punjab till 5th of January. It has also planned several corner public meetings in Lahore.
It also decided to participate in all the rallies of the advocates whenever it is been called by them it also announced 3rd January as a day of action for the boycott campaign.
Labour Party Pakistan is producing its own literature for the boycott campaign alongside with APDM. Posters, stickers and leaflets are being printed to be distributed all over Pakistan during the campaign.
Comrade Farooq Tariq has asked me to forward to the list the following statement, issued by the LPP…
Labour Party Pakistan mourns Benazir’s tragic death
It’s a murder of democracy. Musharraf should resign
A tragedy wrought by combination of dictatorship, fundamentalism, imperialism
Lahore (PR): The Labour Party Pakistan (LPP) strongly condemns the tragic murder of Benazir Bhutto, former prime minister and chairperson Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).
In a joint statement issued here on Friday, LPP spokesperson Farooq Tariq and National Secretary Nisar Shah said: ‘ It is not mere a murder of an individual but murder of democracy and political culture in Pakistan’. They said it was the duty of the regime to provide Benazir Bhutto with a fool-proof security.
‘This is a failure on the part of the regime hence exposing country to an unprecedented danger and chaos. Therefore, we demand an immediate resignation of Pervez Musharraf and his cabinet,’ they added.
They said the tragedy that struck Pakistan yesterday was yet another expression of the instability created in the region owing to the US presence in the region. ‘Her brutal murder is a tragedy jointly wrought by religious fundamentalists, military dictatorships in Pakistan and the USA’, they commented.
They said Al-Qaida had taken upon itself the responsibility for this horrendous crime according to media reports. ‘But the Frankenstein of Al-Qaida would not have been ruling the roost in Pakistan had it not been created by the USA and pampered by military dictatorships in Pakistan’, they said.
Urging the PPP workers restraint, they said LPP workers were with them in that hour of grief. ‘We must turn this anger on the culprits who plotted this dastardly murder’’, they said. They appreciated Pakistan Muslim League (N)’s decision to boycott the elections due on January 8 and APDM decision to suspend the campaign recently launched for the boycott of elections.
[Sent via BlackBerry from Mobilink]
Benazir assassination:
The unprecedented mass reaction
29 December 2007
From: farooq tariq
Pakistan has never seen so many people protesting in streets all over as been the case during the last two days. They were all united across Pakistan to condemn the brutal murder of Benazir Bhutto. The news was heard with a great shock and there was an immediate mass anger erupted in all parts of Pakistan. 28th December was the first day of general strike called by many groups ranging from political parties to various professional groups.
Most of elections posters, banners, flags and bill boards of Pakistan Muslim League (PMLQ) were the first victim of the mass anger. PMLQ is a General Musharaf creation after 1999; a major split of Pakistan Muslim League, The rest is headed by Nawaz Sharif, the former prime minister. PMLQ has been sharing power with General Musharaf after 2002 and is comprised of the most corrupt feudal, capitalists, former army generals and black marketers.
PMLQ had spent billions of these advertising material and all that was gone within few hours of mass reaction. It was very proudly claiming that it has done the home work. The work to remove all these anti people election material was done with utmost sophistication. None of Pakistan Peoples Party or Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz election material was removed.
Then it was the banks mainly in Sind. They were attacked and the buildings were burned in many cities of Sind. Most of ATM machines were destroyed. In some places, people were lucky to bring some money home. Banks had made unprecedented profits during the last few years. There was no free banking any more that was the case earlier from sixties.
Hundreds of private buses were burned in all parts of the country. The fares had gone too high during the Musharaf eight years of rule. There were no more public buses. Most of PMLQ government ministers had their own bus companies and were making huge gains out of mass poverty.
There were also incidents of burning of railway trains in Sind. According to Daily Jang 28 railway stations, 13 railway engines, and seven trains have been burnt resulting over three billion Rupees loss. The rail fares were increased by many folds by Musharaf regime in a bid to reduce the railway losses. It has been partly privatized as well. The whole rail system has collapsed since 27th December night. Thousands of passengers are on the railway stations waiting for restoration. There is no sign of restoration for some days. Pakistan International Airlines PIA and two private airlines, Air Blue and Shaheen Air have cancelled all their domestic flights on the name of “rescheduling”. The staff did not turn up.
Thousands of private cars have been damaged all over Pakistan by the angry mob mainly youth. They were showing their anger on the car companies (mainly Toyota, Suzuki and Honda) unprecedented profits during the last few years. Many leasing companies have robbed the growing middle classes by offering cars with abnormal prices. While the massive majority of population have no more ant subsidized public transport.
The houses and offices of PMLQ politicians, local government’s mayors and administration are the other victims of the mass reaction. They have either been burnt or damaged.
Over 100 people have so far died in the incidents relation to mass protest either by police or by cross firing of different groups during the last 40 hours.
Thousands and thousands have raised slogans against Musharaf regime and American imperialism after the death of Benazir Bhutto. The anger was accumulated during the last eight years and was manifested after this unthinkable incident. This was a response of the masses to the strict implementation of neo liberal agenda which resulted in unprecedented price hike, unemployment and poverty. The anger that was to be shown in boycotting or participating in the elections has come out early after the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.
There is a great anti Musharaf consciousness all over. It is been shown in different ways in different part of the country in different degree. The so-called capitalist economical growth under Musharaf has left millions in absolute poverty. There was no Pakistan shining as was propagated by the dictatorship all the times.
The 2007 has been a year of mass awakening. It started with advocate movement after the removal of chief justice of Supreme Court of Pakistan. The chief justice Iftikhar Choudry said a big “No” to resign under pressure by the Generals. He was removed only to be reinstated on 20th July after a massive movement of 80,000 lawyer’s community. They were joined by political activists from almost all political parties but not by the masses. Masses only welcomed the chief justice from the side roads and did not participate in the movement in real terms.
Musharaf got himself elected as president for the second five year term in a “democratic manner” by a parliament elected for one five year term. He was still wearing military uniform when elected as “civilian” president. His theme was “elect me president for the second term and I will take off uniform after taking oath as civilian president”.
The November imposition of martial law on the name of emergency was used to remove the rather independent top judges of Pakistan. It put restrictions on the media and over 10,000 were arrested. Musharaf got himself duly “elected president” and took off uniform after removing the top judges. His hand picked judges gave him all the necessary backing. He was helped in this process by Benazir Bhutto who was forced into in Tariq Ali,s word “forced arranged marriage” by US and British imperialism. In this unholy alliance, every one was cheating everyone with utmost honestly.
The general elections were announced for January 8th and emergency lifted after the large scale repression and removal of independent judiciary. The regime was happy that everything is going according to “plan”. The Pakistan Peoples Party of Benazir Bhutto and Muslim League Nawaz and Quid Azam (PMLQ), the three major parties had agreed to participate in these fraudulent elections. The religious fundamentalist political alliance MMA had split on the question of participation in elections. One major part of MMA had gone to contest elections.
The campaign for and boycott the election had started when the religious fundamentalist stuck and killed Benazir Bhutto on 27th December evening. The “plan” was shattered into pieces. It was big blow to agreed terms and conditions of various participating parties in the elections. It was not a bumper on the road but a total destruction of the road of conciliations and compromises.
The murder of Benazir Bhutto is a double edge sword. While it is big blow to the plans of British and American imperialism, it will also be no celebration for the religious fundamentalist forces. The initial anger has gone against the military regime and its crony politicians. It can go against the both. No party will be able to celebrate the shocking killings.
But Musharaf regime has understood this clearly and now is trying consciously to put the direction of the movement against the religious fundamentalists. Last night on 28th December, in a two hour press conference, a military brigadier, representing the government named Baitullah Mehsud, an Al-Qaeda associate in tribal areas of Pakistan as the one who carried out the attack.
Foolishly he tried his best to prove that Benazir Bhutto is not killed by a bullet but by the lever of sun roof of the bullet proof car while Benazir Bhutto was waving to crowds outside after the bomb blast. What difference it makes, if it is proved that Benazir Bhutto is killed not by the bullet but by another way? Not much.
The military Brigadier explanation did not satisfied the angry journalists who asked him again and again about the connections of secret intelligence agencies of Pakistan with Abdullah Mahsood. The question, that why Mahsood released quietly over 200 Pakistan army men on the day of imposition of emergency, who were kidnapped by his group a week earlier, went unanswered. The military Inter Services Intelligence ISI has long time relationship with the religious fundamentalists groups dating back to Eighties when Imperialists and fundamentalists were close friends.
It is very volatile, unstable, unpredictable, explosive, dangerous, impulsive, fickle and capricious political situation. It never happened before in many years that mass reaction has erupted to this degree.
The general strike was a total success. All roads were empty. No traffic at all. All shops were closed. All industrial and other institutions were completely shut down.
After the initial inhibition to curb the strike, the regime has now issued strict orders to kill anyone on the spot if it is “looting” any thing. It has called the regular army in 16 districts of Sind and paramilitary forces elsewhere in Pakistan.
The regime has so for not postponed the scheduled elections but it is very difficult to hold elections in this situation. Nawaz Muslim League Nawaz and several other political parties have already announced to boycott the fraudulent elections.
Labour Party Pakistan is demanding an immediate resignation of Musharaf dictatorship and forming of an interim government comprising of civil society organizations, trade unions and peasant organizations. This is to hold free and fair general elections under an independent election commission. It is demanding an immediate restoration of top judges and investigations of Benazir and others murder in this and previous bomb blast by these top judges. As part of All Parties Democratic Movement, LPP is supporting a three day general strike and linking it to the overthrow of the military dictatorship. It is asking all parties to reject the general elections fraud on 8th January and not to participate in these elections.
Refusing to break with feudal traditions
31 December 2007
By: Farooq Tariq
Appointment of 19-year-old Bilawal Bhottu Zardari as the new chair of Pakistan Peoples Party is an attempt to keep the feudal traditions of politics in South Asia. The PPP central executive committee approved the appointment of Bilawal Asif Zardari, unanimously in its meeting on 30th December at Nuedero Sind. He is son of Benazir Bhutto who was assassinateed on 27 December, nominated him.
According to the will of Benazir Bhutto read out in the meeting, Asif Zardari, husband of Benazir Bhutto, was to be appointed as chair of PPP in case Benazir Bhutto is not there. However, Asif Zardari then went on to suggest his son Bilawal as new chair.
A student of Oxford University, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is the eldest and the only son of three children of Benazir Bhutto. Born in Pakistan but never lived here after he went to school.
Asif Zardai will be co chairperson of PPP. By these developments, PPP has effectively been again in the total control of Bhutto family.
PPP leadership had kept the same feudal traditions during the last 40 years of existence. After Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was hanged on July 4 1979, his wife Begum Nusrat Bhutto took over. When Begum Bhutto wanted her son Murtaza Bhutto to take over PPP in 1996, she was deposed by Benazir Bhutto and became the life long chairperson of PPP. Murtaza Bhutto was killed in a plice encounter in September 1996 while Benazir Bhutto was still the prime minester. She lost her power a month later.
The executive committee meeting also decided to take part in the general election of 8 January 2008 and rejected the government version of the assassination. This was despite a massive movement against the military dictatorship of General Musharaf. All over Pakistan, hundreds of thousands have demonstrated against the regime and all the banners and flags of the ruling Muslim League were torn apart. The movement forced the Muslim League supporting General Musharaf to hide everywhere from the public.
A move to boycott the general elections and an announcement to launch a movement to overthrow the military dictatorship by PPP leadership at this moment would have forced the regime to resign. Instead, PPP leadership played on the massive sympethy waves to capitalise through general elections under Musharaf regime. A pricious moment of history to get rid of military intervention into politics by a power mass movement has been lost by this decision to participate in the elections.
By appointment of Bilwal Bhutto, PPP has refused to break the feudal traditions of politics in Soutn Asia. It has kept the undemoractic traditions of few families controling the politics. The heriditic hegemony of politics has been kept and feudalism will be more strengthen by this decision of PPP in general.
Labour Party Pakistan to help rebuild the labour movement
15 January 2008
From: farooq tariq
Labour Party Pakistan has decided to give maximum attention to rebuild the labour movement in Pakistan. The two days meeting of National Executive Committee meeting of LPP held on 8/9th January in Karachi reviewed the situation of labour movement involvement on democratic and class struggle.
It agreed that the top priority of LPP for the year of 2008 would be the trade unions and labour movement as a whole. It decided to help create new unions where there are no unions. It will take up questions of trade unions rights for every worker and will launch a new movement to force the military regime to grant the trade unions rights in 28 different public sector institutions. These include clerical staff, health workers, Pakistan International Airlines workers, government printing press, ports, police and military.
LPP decided to form new unions in areas where there are yellow unions are no unions at all. It agreed to give maximum attention to textile sector in this regard. It also agreed to help the public sector workers to fight privatization, anti trade union legislation and against retrenchments and a campaign for a decent wages for all.
The EC meeting held a political session open to leading comrades in Karachi who were not members of EC. It was agreed that Pakistan has become a very dangerous place for political activists. The rise of religious fundamentalists is mainly due to the war mongering policies of Bush and Musharaf. The repressive polices of Musharaf is not helping to curb the activities of religious extremists but on the contrary it is fueling the situation. While expressing full solidarity with PPP on the question of assassination of Benazir Bhutto, it disagreed with its political and economical priorities that are matching with imperialism.
The meeting reviewed the situation of anti military dictatorship movement by advocates, students, trade unions, civil society organizations and political activists. It agreed to boycott the elections and to maximize the boycott campaign. It decided to review the LPP joining APDM after the general elections. It agreed that there is now more reasons to reject the fraudulent general elections under Musharaf dictatorship.
LPP EC decided to help build the Left unity and to make efforts to bring more groups and parties into Awami Jamhoori Tehreek. “The building of effective Left unity is the only alternative to the politics of the capitalist and feudal political parties”.
The EC formulated the political agenda of LPP for the year 2008. It agreed to organize study circles at all level to promote Socialist ideology in a concert form. It decided to hold Socialist schools at provincial levels. It planned training of National Committee members for team building by professional consultants. The first such two days training shall be held in Lahore on 2/3rd of February 2008.
All members except one comrade attended the national Executive Committee meeting. Nazli Javed and Nisar Shah chaired the meeting.
The Labour Party Pakistan first National Committee three days meeting will be held from 2nd February 2008 in Lahore.
Pakistan Collapsing under Musharaf, He had to go
17 January 2008
By: Farooq Tariq
Pakistan is on fast rout of collapsing under Musharaf dictatorship. The state is in immense crisis. The infrastructure, industrial and social, is in total chaos. The economic crisis is showing its muscles. The price hike is uncontrollable and unemployment in ever increase.
The vast majority of ordinary people of Pakistan are praying day and night that Musharaf be killed or at least he should die. Majority believe that he will never leave power without giving his life. “If he is not killed, he will kill us all one by one. He has become the most unpopular president of Pakistan.
Musharaf is widely seen as a person who has orchestrated the murder of Benazir Bhutto. “Qaatal Qaatal Musharaf Qaatal (Murderer the murderer, Musharaf the murderer) was the main slogan of the mass reaction. All the twist and turn of Musharaf dictatorship after the murder has strengthened the doubts of the masses in this regard. “He asked her to come to Pakistan by negotiating and let her be killed” is a remark you hear very often.
Despite that, Musharaf has consistently shown the trends that he will stick to power by any mean. “He is the ultimate power”, Pakistan needs him, Pakistan first, Pakistan my top priority” are some of his regular sloganeering. However, many do not trust him anymore here in Pakistan.
The desperation of masses to remove Musharaf by a mass movement is clear everywhere. They had attempted to throw him out of power after assassination of Benazir. That was an unprecedented movement for five days from 27 December 2007. Not a single shop was open, no wheel on the move, no factory working, no bank open, no office functioning, no restaurant or hotel open, no train on the move, flights cancelled, schools and colleges closed and thousands and thousands were on the road protesting. This was the most unexpected outburst of mass anger after the killing.
Nevertheless, unfortunately, Pakistan Peoples Party leadership had not learnt from history. They saw this an important occasion to show that are the responsible defender of the system. They went to appeal the masses to cool down, go back to their work and turn your anger into vote for Pakistan Peoples Party.
This was the time when majority of the political parties had announced to boycott the elections and demanded an immediate resignation of Musharaf. Had PPP joined the other parties in boycotting the general elections, Musharaf would have gone by now.
They had not realized the post Benazir killing scenario. They had not anticipated the total collapse of economy in the days ahead. They had not thought of the tactics of Musharaf supporters to rig the election if they were given chance. Over 4000 First Investigation Reports (FIR) has been registered by police against a record number of half a million PPP and other opposition political activists in Sind alone. Many PPP activists were arrested to be released on bail later. Many thousands have gone for bail before arrest. The tactics of PPP leadership has put PPP in defensive position.
The PPP is on the run after three weeks of Benazir Bhutto assassination, it was Musharaf who on the defense after the killings. He would have been relived when the PPP leadership had taken a decision to contest elections.
At a time when the consciousness of the whole of Pakistan was anti Musharaf with active participation in mass movement, the PPP leadership announcement to participate in elections was like putting cold water on the boiling heat, was like a fire brigade bus active in stopping fire spreading by showering water.
Moreover, what an elections that is taking place on 18 February 2008? Before the announcement of the general elections, top judges, 60 of them were put under house arrest on 3 November 2007 when martial law was imposed on the name of emergency; many are still in house arrest particularly the chief justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Ahmed Choudry. On 14 January, all public meetings and election rallies are banned for a month on the name of security. Thus, effectively, there is not going be any mass mobilization by the political parties. Most of the opposition parties that are taking part in the elections are already complaining that it will rig and that they have proofs of rigging in the electoral role.
All the rules lay out by Election Commission of Pakistan about the size and width of the posters, pamphlets, stickers, hording boards and banners have been widely violated by most of the candidates belonging to the government and the opposition.
It is race of money among the candidates. It is like a business competition. It is not a democracy that is going to be restored by the elections but a farce of democracy. The general elections have given a chance to the masses to choose among the exploiters. The condition that a candidate must be at least a university graduate meant that only less than one percent of the whole population had a chance to become candidates.
Three weeks after the assassination of Benazir, on 17 January 2008, there is unprecedented price hike of everything. Wheat flour is the most used food item in Pakistan. It has gone up from Rupees 13 a kilogram to 25 to 50 Rupees, if you can find it in shops. There have been suicide attempts by women after failure to buy the wheat flour from the government concessional utility stores. There has food riots reported in many parts of the country.
There is regular news on television and newspapers that “smugglers” of wheat floor have been arrested. Earlier smuggling was normally restricted to gold and electronic items. Now wheat flour “smugglers” are the main enemies of Pakistan. Almost every province has restricted the transportation of wheat floor. Thus making more problem for the people North West Frontier Province, Baluchistan and many in Afghanistan who are dependent on wheat floar from Punjab and Sind
There are massive electricity crises. The electricity is released on load shedding basis, in most cases there is electricity available for 10 to 12 hours a day in most parts of the country. The countryside is worst hit by this. There is no commercial gas available to all the industries for the last two weeks. Thus closing down of many hundreds factories. Even hospital s is not spared from this. Hundreds of thousands workers are laid off from the factories and they are asked to wait when the electricity and gas is restored to full capacity.
LPG gas has disappeared. The price has gone up from 50 Rupees a kilogram to 100/110 Rupees a kilogram if you can find one LPG gas shop open. The price of one kilogram of vegetable has gone up to 125 Rupees from 100 earlier. Almost there is a 25 percent price hike of everything available in the shops and super markets.
Yet there is neither wage increase nor any temporary compensation for the people.
This is a very good ground for the very rich politicians from Muslim League Q, who are main supporters of Musharaf. They will buy votes in bulk for the scheduled 18 February general elections. The objective reality of hardship of life under Musharaf with PPP taking part in elections may cut across t