The Emergency Times 21

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Dec 1st, 2007

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The Emergency Times Quote of the Day “In your country, maybe you don’t hang people. Here, we hang people, OK?” – President Pervez Musharraf in a recent interview

Student Action Committee Lahore Protests at Liberty Chowk

Students from 21 universities, under the banner of Student Action Committee Lahore, gathered today at Liberty Chowk to publicly voice their dissent. The streets were lined with hundreds of Police Elite forces which warned the students that they would be arrested if they did not disperse within fifteen minutes. Amidst chants of "NO" to this question of dispersal, student's made it clear that police or no police, they would not disperse without making themselves heard. Students brandishing colorful placards and wearing black armbands flooded the liberty roundabout. Some members of the civil society, the lawyer's movement, doctors, and human rights activists also came to express solidarity and support for the student initiative. The students sat displaying their banners and placards peacefully while negotiations with the Police SP were made. Afterwards, everyone made a human chain around the enormous roundabout, and chanted antiMusharraf, pro-judiciary and pro-democracy slogans. After circling the roundabout for half an hour the procession of nearly 600 gathered in the middle, chanting freedom slogans with ever more vigor. There were speeches made by students from a few of the participating universities, the content of which resonated around the necessity of empowering the common people of Pakistan and putting an end once and for all to the tyranny of the military. The students made it clear that this movement will be a long term struggle to ensure that true democracy is given a chance to take root in the country and that justice prevails. The students made it very clear that no elections can be legitimate without a free and independent judiciary overseeing them. One demand declared as non-negotiable was the restoration of the judiciary as of 2nd Nov. Without the judicial organ being independent and un-terrorized, it will fail in its function of providing the necessary check and balance on the executive. After the speeches, the national anthem was sung by the all assembled. After this hour long protest, the gathering peacefully dispersed, distributing flyers to the public to educate them of their demands. What made this assembly remarkable was the level of organization that was evident. Not a single flower was trampled nor any paper trash left behind; the students stuffed their own pockets and bags with the litter Disclaimer: This publication is not affiliated with or does not endorse any political party or social group. It is a humble effort to inspire and make aware- for we together can make a difference in these troubled times. Write to us at [email protected]. Our online version is on pakistanmartiallaw.blogspot.com

The Emergency Times Please Photocopy and Distribute

Dec 1st, 2007

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instead. Today's protest will not be forgotten easily from the memory of the people of Lahore. Today's countrywide protest demonstrated to the people of Pakistan the unwillingness of the youth of the nation to silently sit through the slow death of their nation.

Hundreds Rally in Islamabad – Eyewitness account Ed

The Protest Rally in Islamabad on Friday turned out to be a huge success, with around 300 people showing up to express their outrage at the continued subversion of the judiciary and media, and to stress on the boycott of the upcoming elections. The protest, co-ordinated with similar rallies around the country and abroad, consisted of students, journalists, lawyers, civil rights activists and ordinary citizens of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, who showed up despite the downpour in the twin cities in the afternoon. The crowd first gathered outside the Press Club at 3 PM, holding placards in support of the judiciary, prominent figures in the movement, such as Muneer A Malik, as well as the media. The protestors chanted slogans against the unconstitutional acts of the government and hailed Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry and his supporters as the heroes of the day. Several prominent figures from among the student, journalistic and legal community stepped forward to address the gathering and outline their demands. After 4 PM, the protest moved in the form of a car rally to the Marriot Hotel, near the Judicial residence. There, the numbers of protestors swelled as lawyers and members of civil society joined them in their march towards the Judge's residence. In the highly-charged atmosphere, the protestors pledged to prevent the eviction of the judges from their residences, as threatened by the government. Several prominent figures, such as Asma Jahangir and Roedad Khan joined the protestors, as they marched towards the Judicial residences. Also prominent among the protestors were relatives of the missing people illegally abducted by intelligence agencies throughout the country. Carrying photos of their loved ones, the people joined the procession, calling for the reinstatement of the judges who had tried to get their relatives released from illegal custody. The procession stopped at the police barricades, where the sloganeering continued even as hundreds of police personnel surrounded the protestors and prevented them from going further. Several more speeches were made as the protestors pledged to continue their struggle and boycott the elections until the judiciary, constitution and media was restored. The protestors then dispersed with plans to stage another major rally in the coming few days. The movement continues.. In Complete Unity

Official Statement by Campaign for Political and Social change in Pakistan (CPSO) We, the members of the Campaign For Political And Social Change In Pakistan, react with caution to the news of martial law being lifted on December 16, 2007. As much as this is a welcome step in theory, in all practicality it will be in vain, if the government does not reinstate the original members of the Supreme Court (prior to November 3rd, 2007), lifts the ban on all media outlets allowing them to resume their broadcast as per their constitutional right and ensures the release of everyone arrested under the emergency laws. Simultaneously, we also welcome the boycott of the upcoming elections by the members of APDM, until the aforementioned conditions are not met and urge them to stay true to their word till the very end. We stand united in our call with every student and member of the civil society in these demands - whether in Pakistan or outside - for the constitutional rights of all Pakistanis are not privileges that can be forsaken. Our struggle is not just for the end of Martial law but towards ensuring a democratic system of political governance, where transparency and accountability is the norm. Our hope is to create an alternative to the current political milieu by humanizing the concept of politics, encouraging our youth to be a part of the solution and not just be silent bystanders while our future, as individuals and collectively as a nation is at Disclaimer: This publication is not affiliated with or does not endorse any political party or social group. It is a humble effort to inspire and make aware- for we together can make a difference in these troubled times. Write to us at [email protected]. Our online version is on pakistanmartiallaw.blogspot.com

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Dec 1st, 2007

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stake. Our struggle continues for every Pakistani demanding change! For a democratic, progressive and free Pakistan! Be the change that you wish to see in others! cogent

Shaukat Aziz in the dock (Courtesy The Frontier Post) Javaid Syed

LAHORE: Disgraced former Prime Minister, Shaukat Aziz, who was denied a PML-Q ticket by the party leadership, has now sunk in a deep morass and has been accused of misuse of official power and criminal mismanagement. Highly placed official sources have confided with The Frontier Post that the privatization of Pakistan Steel Mills and certain aspects of Habib Bank were under scrutiny that could land Shaukat Aziz in deep trouble. The government at one point considered to place the name of Shaukat Aziz on the exit control list, but certain high level quarter decided to keep the matter pending and a decision on the issue may be taken at some later stage. The Pakistani Prime Minister was lambasted by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in her book “Twice as Good”, where she made cutting remarks about Shaukat Aziz for his ungentlemanly behavior, putting the entire Pakistani nation to shame. It was Shaukat Aziz who advised President Musharraf to submit a reference against Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry that triggered social unrest in the country and wide protest demonstrations were held everywhere. Preliminary investigation into various allegations against Shaukat Aziz continues, but insiders believe that there was enough evidence to indict the former Prime Minister on these charges. Sources also told The Frontier Post that Shaukat Aziz could face charges regarding misuse of discretionary and secret funds that were at his disposal and amounted to plunder of the country’s wealth. A powerful lobby in the PML(Q) was pushing hard for action against Shaukat Aziz with some of them willing to testify against their former boss. After incriminating evidence against Shaukat Aziz, the president was forced to abandon his erstwhile political ally at the last minute and the name of the former Prime Minister was dropped at the eleventh hour from the list of PML(Q) candidates for the National Assembly.

WAF gathering on 3rd December

To sustain the momentum of the movement, WAF is organizing its next event on 3rd December at 3pm. This will be a gathering of people (women, men, students, lawyers, political parties etc) in which the participants will sit in circles, for a session of songs, poems, skits etc. Our focus will be on the restoration of the judiciary. Venue: Lawrence Garden, Baghi-Jinnah behind Quaid-e-Azam Library Date: 3rd December 2007 (Monday) Time: 3:00 p.m You are cordially invited to come and participate in the event R.S.V.P Neelam Hussain- 0300-4800360, Naila Naz- 0300-4536313

Salman Ahmed to dedicate Nobel Concert performance to Movement Salman Ahmad and his band Junoon have been invited by the Nobel Peace prize committee to perform 2 concerts at the prestigious Nobel Ceremony on Dec 9 and Dec 11 in Oslo. The Dec 9 concert will be an acoustic Sufi music performance with tabla maestro Pandit Samir Chatterjee in honor of Al Gore and the other winners of this year's Nobel peace Prize. On Dec 11, Junoon, South Asia's most popular Sufi-rock band will perform alongside international artists like Alicia Keys, Melissa Etheridge, Earth Wind and Fire and Annie Lennox. The master of ceremonies is Oscar winning actor Tommy Lee Jones. Previous performers at this globally televised concert have been Sir Paul McCartney, Carlos Santana and U2. Salman will dedicate his performance to the Pakistan lawyers’ movement for the restoration of the Supreme court judges and independence of the judiciary as well as Pakistan's civil society, media, students and rights Disclaimer: This publication is not affiliated with or does not endorse any political party or social group. It is a humble effort to inspire and make aware- for we together can make a difference in these troubled times. Write to us at [email protected]. Our online version is on pakistanmartiallaw.blogspot.com

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Dec 1st, 2007

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activists who have heroically protested against the Musharraf government's illegal action of imposing emergency in Pakistan.

Fazl-ur-Rehman continues to refuse election boycott ISLAMABAD: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, on Friday, once again refused to follow the APDM boycott decision. According to the Maulana, “APDM is a political grouping, formed to fight for the restoration of democracy in the country, and not an electoral alliance, so how could it decide about election boycott. It has no right or authority to make such a decision.” He stated that simply because the non-PCO judges opposed Musharraf was no reason to support them. He said the deposed judges had earlier taken oath under the PCO and should be disliked as much the incumbent PCO judges. However, he said he wanted an ‘independent’ judiciary. He alleged that certain APDM parties, with little public following, had forced Nawaz Sharif to boycott the elections. He also said that he was in touch with Benazir Bhutto and would consider seat-adjustments with her at the local level. (The Maulana’s contact numbers are: 0345-8506684, 0345-9872244 and 0333-5279999. We would encourage everyone to contact him [anonymously, if you wish] and speak your mind. Try to politely ask him to fulfill some basic democratic pledges and take a principled stance for once. Or, of course, anything else that’s on your mind.)

(Courtesy Fauzia Minallah) Disclaimer: This publication is not affiliated with or does not endorse any political party or social group. It is a humble effort to inspire and make aware- for we together can make a difference in these troubled times. Write to us at [email protected]. Our online version is on pakistanmartiallaw.blogspot.com