This article is abridged from accounts by Farooq Tariq, a leader of the Labour Party Pakistan, posted at . An LPP representative will be attending the World at a Crossroads conference in Sydney, April 10-12. Visit .
The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) government has imposed section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code in all districts of Punjab. This was aimed at stopping the proposed "long march" from Quetta and Karachi called by the pro-democracy lawyers' movement scheduled for March 12.
Under section 144, no protest march or gathering of people at one place is allowed. The people arrested during this period could be kept under detention for up to three months.
In the lead-up to the march, the electronic media reported the lists of the political activists to be arrested or detained by the government.
After just a year in power, the PPP government has decided to replicate the repressive policies of the dictatorship of General Pervez Musharraf.
In its attempt to stop the march, the regime has arrested more than 500 activists. In Lahore, police made a failed attempt to arrest two main leaders of the LPP on March 10. I went underground that evening.
The long march went ahead on March 12, starting from Karachi after police failed to stop it. Dozens of lawyers and democracy activists, including three LPP members, were arrested. One of the arrested, the LPP's national labour secretary Nasir Mansoor was severely beaten and his car was snatched.
On arch 14, more LPP activistswere arrested, this time in
Hyderabad, second largest city of Sindh. They were arrested at an LPP-organised demonstration in front of Hyderabad Press Club.
The arrested are Muhib Lighari, Faiz Kerio, Munwar Chandio, Sarfraz Kumber,
Ghulam Qadir Mirani, Hasan Nasir and Shakela.
Mirani is a senior leader of the peasant movement in Pakistan and a former president of Mir Pur Khas Bar Association. He recently was able to help in the release of more than 200 bonded haries (peasants) through a court case.
Despite the arrests, the LPP will be continue to take part in long march.