Islamabad, June 13, 2007: The Pakistan Peoples Party protested the massive crackdown launched against the workers and office bearers of the party as scores of political activists are being picked across Punjab and Sindh.  

 

After March 9, the regime has been regularly rounding up political activists, as the seven years of misrule coupled with the ongoing judicial crisis has triggered massive public demands for the removal of the current unconstitutional set up. The police have been blindly raiding the houses of the party workers, breaching their privacy and picking them up indiscriminately. Even the elderly have not been spared and the workers arrested in one district are being taken to jails in other districts.  

 

"This is a blatant violation of civil and human rights that all political workers as the citizens of Pakistan are entitled to enjoy," said Sherry Rehman, Central Information Secretary Pakistan Peoples Party. Rehman said that not only are PPP activists being arrested without valid grounds, the entire procedure of their arrest and subsequent detention exposes the nefarious agenda of the regime to silence the opposition in the wake of the judicial crisis.  

 

Rehman cited the case of the Senior Vice President PPP District Sargodha Malik Hamid Nawaz Awan who was arrested in the middle of the night when the police forced its way into his house and picked him after harassing his family. "He has been detained in Mianwali jail amid the soaring temperature in the city, making life exceptionally difficult for detainees. His family has been told that they cannot meet him without the permission of the Home Secretary. The resilient family has refused to bow down to the police pressure. Others arrested include Junaid Bulund of the PPP Sindh, Sheeraz Kiani and Rashid Mir of Rawalpindi. Scores have been arrested from all across the country. Such blatant violations of human rights happen only in places where the law of the jungle prevails."  

 

Rehman questioned the purpose of detaining political workers under section 3 and 16 of the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance that provides for three months behind the bars. Rehman said that it is obvious the regime has launched the crackdown to preempt likely demonstrations in favour of an independent judiciary that the PPP aims to continue supporting. "The regime also panicked last week as the Pakistan Peoples Party pledged its support to the media after the unconstitutional PEMRA ordinance was promulgated by General Musharraf on June 4. Fearing a strong backlash if it had arrested media persons, the regime resorted to arresting PPP activists to discourage them from supporting the media as well as the lawyer's movement."  

 

Rehman demanded immediate release of all political activists, while warning the regime that such arrests will not deter the PPP from raising its voice to demand an independent judiciary, free media, and fair elections.