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NEWS & LETTERS, June 2002
Challenges to sham Pakistan referendumPakistan—Eleven men and three women, leaders and workers of the Labor Party of Pakistan, were arrested April 26. Their crime? They were holding a peaceful demonstration in front of the Lahore Press Club when they were stopped and told to disperse. They refused to give up their right to assemble and protest. I heard those who were not arrested speaking about the incident. They were trying to secure bail for their 14 comrades who were eventually released the next day after their bail were secured. The police also grabbed an innocent pedestrian who was released the night before. They said that the procession had been peaceful, but impassioned. They were carrying banners denouncing General Musharraf, the man they believed to be a pernicious dictator, and chanting slogans against him and his pseudo-referendum. These are not isolated cases. The state machinery did all it can to suppress voices of opposition wherever they arose. They banned public assemblies and made it impossible for people to express their opinions, either through the media or by public demonstrations. All the state’s resources are at the general’s command and what was he using them for? To herd and harass the people to attend his rallies and tell them how committed he is to their welfare while they were being beaten by the police as they tried to leave; to churn out ceaseless propaganda from all state media; to suppress dissent by threatening and strong-arming journalists, the same tactics his predecessors used except he can use them with greater impunity since he is not a mere civilian. Amongst the clamor against the referendum, women’s organizations were a strong, vocal and active presence. The Joint Action Committee (JAC), which is a group of 35 non-governmental organizations, held a press conference at the Lahore Press Club on April 12. They unanimously condemned the military usurpation of the democratic institutions of the country and protested against the absolutely unconstitutional referendum: "We clearly and categorically declare our protest against the referendum. This press conference is the first step in our plan of opposition." JAC also pointed out that holding political rallies places all involved armed forces personnel in violation of their oath to abstain from political involvement. JAC members declared that as mature citizens of the State of Pakistan, they were capable of making their own decisions without military guidance. Amongst the representatives of JAC was the Secretary of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and advocate of the Supreme Court, Hina Jilani. She said that it is unconstitutional to seek election as president through a referendum. “This referendum order is an insult to the intelligence of the people of Pakistan,” Hina declared. She went on to point out the contradictions between Mr. Musharraf’s claim to constitutionality and the actual executive order about the referendum, stipulating that this order overrules all other laws, and that it cannot be challenged in any court of law. The Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy, an alliance of political parties, mobilized their large following to thwart the general’s plans. They declared that they would hold rallies against the referendum wherever Musharraf held his rallies. The wide-scale protest against Mr. Musharraf’s campaign for permanently militarizing Pakistan was supported by all the major and most minor political parties, all bar associations, and most non-governmental organizations. Most major political leaders issued statements of their boycott of the referendum and the Supreme Court Bar also filed a constitutional petition against the referendum. —Observer |
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