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Abolish the Military and MQM Tyranny in Pakistan
U.S. Congress Letter to U.S. Secretary of State
June 1, 2007
The Honorable Condoleezza Rice
U.S. Secretary of State
U.S. Department of State
Washington, DC 20520 USA
Dear Secretary Rice:
(InformPress.com) – Over the past two months, we have witnessed the spiral of civil unrest and harshly-suppressed protest in Pakistan with increasing concern. We ask that you publicly call for an immediate end to the violence, and urge the Government of Pakistan to commit to holding free and fair elections by the year’s end.
We note the following events in recent weeks:
* [Pakistan Army ruler General (retired) Pervez] Musharraf’s attempt to dismiss the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, has sparked protests of people in the tens of thousands, spearheaded by bar associations, and supported by moderate political parties and civil society organizations. The government’s response has been to arrest, detain and beat citizens, many of them lawyers demonstrating peacefully. Attacks on demonstrators in Karachi on May 12 left at least 42 dead and over 150 wounded. Opposition parties blame the violence on armed supporters of the Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM), a coalition partner of General Musharraf’s party in the Sindh government.
* The violence in Karachi appears to show disturbing signs of collusion between MQM and government forces. The paramilitary Rangers and police, whether by inaction or acting on specific orders, clearly failed to protect the lives of citizens under attack by armed gangs. There have been disturbing reports of security forces closing off streets while gunmen targeted Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Awami National Party (ANP) members. There have also been disturbing ethnic overtones to some of the violence, as Punjabis, Pashtuns and Sindhis were reportedly attacked by the Muhajir-based MQM.
* There are increasingly numerous reports of official and unofficial acts of intimidation against members of the legal community. On May 10, Muneer A. Malik, President of the Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan and a key member of Chief Justice Chaudhry’s legal team, was physically assaulted in Karachi. On May 14, Syed Hamad Amjad Raza, the Supreme Court’s Additional Registrar and aide to Chief Justice Chaudhry, was murdered in what supporters are labeling a political assassination. Cases have been filed against two dozen lawyers under the Anti Terrorist Act, an apparently spurious use of this Act to prosecute political opponents of the government: among the targets who clearly have no credible ties to terrorism is Asma Jahangir, Chairwoman of the Pakistan Human Rights Commission and UN Special Rapporteur.
* In some cases the media have likewise been subject to violent intimidation, in an apparent attempt to prevent coverage of the pro-democracy protests. On March 15, following the initial protests over the suspension of Chief Justice Chaudhry, police ransacked the offices of Geo TV in Islamabad. During the recent [May 12] Karachi protests, Aaj TV station came under violent attack for over seven hours, with the police and paramilitary refusing to come to the rescue of its staff.
It would appear that underlying these protests is a widespread impression that General Musharraf may not live up to his promise to hold free and fair presidential and parliamentary elections this year. It is our impression that many Pakistani citizens view the General’s campaign against the nation’s Chief Justice as an attempt to cow the judicial system into sanctioning electoral rigging and extra-constitutional delay of a return to a fully civilian government. The driving force behind these protests is Pakistani civil society: lawyers’ associations, moderate political parties, journalists’ unions, and other mainstream groups are committed to rule of law and open democracy. A flawed election would marginalize moderate parties and voices, empowering extremist groups to exert far greater influence over Pakistani society.
The national interests of the United States and of Pakistan are both served by a speedy restoration of full democracy to Pakistan, and by an end to state-sponsored intimidation – often violent – of Pakistani citizens protesting government actions in a legal and peaceful manner. We urge you to make a public appeal to this end, and to raise these matters forcefully in your interactions with Pakistani government officials.
Sincerely,
JOSEPH R. BIDEN, Jr.
U.S. Senator (D-DE)
Chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Biden For President
TOM LANTOS
U.S. Representative (D-CA)
Chairman of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee
ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN
U.S. Representative (R-FL)
Ranking Member of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee
For more information, Contact:
Elizabeth Alexander
Press Secretary for U.S. Senator Joe Biden
Telephone: 202-224-5373
Copyright © 2007-2010 InformPress.com
Authors: U.S. Congress Members
Chief Editor: Syed Adeeb
Publisher: Information Press – USA
Publication Date: Friday, 1 June 2007
