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In recent days, General Musharraf’s government in Pakistan has detained, beaten and tear-gassed opposition party leaders, lawyers and human rights advocates, dismissed and placed under house arrest members of the Supreme Court, and clamped down severely on the media. Of particular concern to ILRF are Musharraf’s assaults on labor organizations and workers’ rights.

ILRF demands that Pakistan allow international organizations access to all persons arrested as a part of the emergency declaration and, more importantly, we demand that the government release all political prisoners. The state of emergency should be ended, the Supreme Court should be reinstated and a truly independent electoral commission should be formed to guide the country through fair elections.

Check out the ILRF statement here.

Tell me more

Subject:

Dear [ Decision Maker ],

(Edit Letter Below)

I am writing to express my outrage at Pakistan's harassment of labor activists and attacks on basic labor rights, such as freedom of assembly and freedom of association.

Nisar Shah, Chairperson of the Labour Party and a prominent advocate, has been arrested and party worker Shakeel Malik was beaten. Khalid Mahmood, head of the Labour Education Foundation, and Mohammad Ashiq Bhutta, Information Secretary of the National Federation of Food, Beverages and Tobacco Workers, were both arrested and later released. Police have further arrested the convener of the Pearl Continental Hotel Workers Solidarity Committee, Liaqat Ali Sahi, and two members of the Solidarity Committee, G. Fareed Awan, Assistant General Secretary of the All-Pakistan Trade Unions Federation (APTUF) and Ayub Qureshi, Information Secretary of the Pakistan Trade Union Federation (PTUF). Yusuf Mastikhan, Vice President of the National Workers Party is in prison. The Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum has encountered harassment in Karachi.  Countless others are suffering similar infringements of their liberties.

Pakistan must allow international organizations access to political prisoners, but more importantly, must unconditionally release all political prisoners.  All Supreme Court justices and other judges should be released and reinstated.   Civil liberties must be respected, including trade union rights.

Maintaining stability and combating extremism cannot be achieved by attacking the very activists working for a better future.

Sincerely,
[Your name]
[Your address]

Take Action on this Issue

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Ambassador Mahmud Ali Durrani
Governor Ishrat Ul Ebad Khan
Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao
Minister Zahid Hamid

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