Pakistan

After the Pakistan election

At an AWL meeting in London on 28 February, Faryal Velmi spoke about Pakistan after the recent elections. In those elections the two main opposition parties — the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) (PML-N) — topped the poll and will have a dominant presence in the next parliament. They may form a coalition. Whether they can, or will even attempt to, pressurise General Musharraf, who has now lost many of his supporters in Parliament, into resigning as President is quite another matter. One good thing was that the Islamic party alliance, the MMA, lost control of...

Unexpected results in Pakistan election

The tumultuous political scene in Pakistan, took an unexpected turn on 18 February, when President Musharaf’s political party Pakistan Muslim League ‘Q’ took a battering in the general election. As we go to press, unofficial results show the Pakistan People’s Party, the party of assassinated ex-prime minster Benazir Bhutto, has won 86 seats out of 256 National Assembly seats. The PPP won a clear majority in the southern province of Sindh and have enough seats to rule the federal government there. In the populous province of Punjab, Pakistan Muslim League-N led by Nawaz Sharif, the former Prime...

Why Pakistan is exploding

The new Pakistani general [Musharraf], he’s just been elected — not elected, this guy took over office. It appears this guy is going to bring stability to the country, and I think that’s good news for the subcontinent. (George W Bush, 1999) On 27 December Benazir Bhutto, leader of the Pakistan People’s Party was assassinated, killed by a gunman who then blew himself and 21 other people up. The belief that Musharraf was responsible in some way for the assassination has led to countrywide violent protests and riots; over hundred people have been killed. The government claim al-Qaida have taken...

Pakistani socialists launch financial appeal

PERVEZ Musharraf has stood down as head of the armed forces and been sworn in a civilian President. Thus he has achieved what he set out to do by imposing a state of emergency on 3 November and sacking the judges who ruled his continuance as President was unconstitutional. Many opponents of his regime remain in jail. Although Musharraf has called elections for 8 January, he has not ended the state of emergency. Before the state of emergency the socialist party, the Labour Party Pakistan, wanted to stand as part of a loose coalition, the Awami Jamhoori Tehreek (the People’s Democratic Movement)...

Trade unionists jailed in Musharraf clampdown

At the time of writing it is three weeks into General Pervez Musharraf’s full-scale “emergency” military rule in Pakistan. Hundreds, perhaps thousands of lawyers, civil and human rights activists and trade unionists remain in jail. Under new powers these people can be tried in military courts. With sources of political protests battened down, Musharraf has set up a “caretaker” government and replaced uppity supreme court judges with ones loyal to him. Those judges have now rubber-stamped Musharraf’s (illegal) election as President last October. With his continuing political role secure...

Support the left in Pakistan!

Why did Pakistan’s military ruler General Musharraf risk millions of dollars in military and other financial aid from the US and EU by declaring martial law on 3 November? He probably knew there was little chance of Pakistan’s major donor countries (the US and the UK) doing more than weakly threatening to cut that aid. In the short-term, to a large extent, the US and UK are inhibited by their reliance on Pakistan in the region — not least for logistical help with NATO operations in Afghanistan. A guarded promise from Musharaff (5 November) to go ahead with National Assembly elections in...

Life underground for a Pakistani socialist

"It was agreed that I will not come out in the open but will be active in organising the movement until my arrest at my post. We will not accept the dictatorial measures, we will organise demonstrations and will ask comrades to be ready for more arrests...." Other postings from Farooq Tariq's diary here . On 3 November 2007 I was in Toba Tek Singh, a city around four hours from Lahore, attending a preparation meeting for our fourth national conference due to be held in the city on 9-11 November. On hearing the emergency has been declared I decided to travel to Lahore (where I live). This was...

Pakistani unions call for democracy as activists arrested

From the LabourStart website The International Trade Union Confederation has called for "the immediate restoration of the rule of law, the country’s Constitution and the fundamental democratic rights of its people" in Pakistan following the imposition of a state of emergency earlier this week. But while media attention outside Pakistan has focussed on well-known opposition politicians such as Benazir Bhutto and cricketer Imran Khan, there has been little coverage in the mainstream media of the arrest of trade unionists, as reported by the IUF . LabourStart has

Pakistan: more arrests

Repression of opposition groups, including the socialist Labour Party, Pakistan continues. At the end of September ten members, including General Secretary Farooq Tariq, were arrested, at a protest against General Pervez Musharraf filing nomination papers for a second presidential term. They have been charged under Pakistan’s anti-terrorist laws! Musharraf has been relected as Pakistan’s President after winning all but five of the votes cast in a joint Parliamentary and Provincial Assembly election. He would have won even if opposition groups had not boycotted the election. However Pakistan’s...

Pakistani socialist leader Farooq Tariq arrested - again!

From the Labour Party of Pakistan Dear comrades! Farooq Tariq, General Secretary of the Labour Party Pakistan, along with ten party members, was arrested once again on Thursday (27 September 07), outside Lahore High Court, the third time in the last three months. He was under ground for the last three days as the police were looking to arrest him. On Thursday he surfaced for a while to participate in lawyers' protest rally against General Musharraf. The LPP fully participated in this rally to protest against the filing of nomination papers by General Musharraf for a second presidential term...

This website uses cookies, you can find out more and set your preferences here.
By continuing to use this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.