Hotline Asia Urgent Appeals -- UA030505(3) |
Release
Tenants' Association Leaders
~ PAKISTAN ~
5 May 2003
Action Requested || Sample Letter || Background |
|||||||||||||||
Summary Four Anjuman Muzareen Punjab (Tenants Association Punjab or AMP) leaders, were arested by the Okara Police on 2 April 2003, on their way to a meeting with a local organization in Lahore. Younis Iqbal, Chairman, Dr. Christopher John, General Secretary, Sajid Baluch, a newly elected member of National Committee of Labour Party Pakistan and Fahim Khan were charged under sections 186, 353 and 216-A/34 of the Pakistan Penal Code after 12 days in police custody. Initially the Lahore Deputy Inspector General of Police had denied any knowledge of the whereabouts of the missing men. Before formal charges were laid, the families of the arrested leaders, and also later the tenants of Okara Military Farms, were threatened and urged to compel the AMP leaders to withdraw their claim for land ownership rights. On 13 April, Chairman Younis Iqbal, accompanied by a Member of the Provincial Assembly from the ruling Party and his bodyguards, was presented at the farms, where he urged tenants to withdraw their demands for land ownership, and to accept an official package offering substitute lands and a 7-year lease. When the tenants refused to give up their fight, Younis Iqbal was reportedly taken away again by his companions. The AMP represents thousands of tenant farmers at the government owned agricultural farms, including military farms. In the last two years six activists of the AMP have been killed in a struggle for ownership rights to the land that they have cultivated for over 100 years. Hundreds have been arrested [see UA020806(8) and SUA020830(9)] and these arrests appear to be part of a pattern of harassment of tenants and their families. |
|||||||||||||||
Action Requested Please write polite letters to express your concern about this case and urge the authorities to release the tenants' leaders. Please include the following requests in your letters:
|
|||||||||||||||
Sample Letter
|
|||||||||||||||
|
Shortly before a tenant's Convention to be held in Okara on 7 April 2003, four AMP leaders, Younis Iqbal (Chairman), Dr. Christopher John (General Secretary), Sajid Baluch and Fahim Khan went missing after they left their office for a meeting with a local organizaion in Lahore on 2 April 2003. Because the Okara police denied having arrested the men or having them in custody, the AMP leadership filed a petition for habeas corpus with the Lahore High Court. On the first hearing of the petition, the Lahore police informed the court that none of the 'missing' AMP leaders was wanted by them, and they had not been taken into custody. The court issued notice to the Okara police to explain their position in the matter and to submit their reply by 14 April. Only then did the police formally accept responsibility for the arrests. Tenants' Response At the Lahore Press Club on 4 April, the leaders of the AMP, Labour Party of Pakistan, and Joint Action Committee for Peoples Rights condemned the illegal detentions. They claimed that this is the latest in a series of illegal detentions of opposition leaders by various intelligence agencies. However they asserted that the struggle for the right to the ownership of the land would continue and the slogan of "Death or Ownership" would be further strengthened by these latest arrests. They said that the regime can not frighten the peasantry by such illegal acts, and that the conference on 7th April would be held at all costs. Thousands of peasants were expected to participate in this conference to be held at Chak 10 4/L Okara. They also called on the peasants to observe a day of action on 4 April, asking them to demonstrate at each village of Okara and Khaniwal district. They demanded the immediate release of the leaders and warned of a nationwide movement if any harm is done to these leaders. Harassment In Peaceful Assembly On the day of the convention, the rangers and other law enforcement agencies did not allow tenants from outside Okara to reach the venue nor did they allow the leadership of political parties to attend the convention. Speakers trying to enter Okara were stopped and an emergency was reportedly declared in the area. Nonetheless, two thousand men and women participated in the convention. Hotline Asia is informed that preparations for the Convention continued, despite the Okara rangers calling the missing leaders' family members, and members of AMP, pressuring them to force the leaders and members to stop the Convention. Family members were also threatened and asked to force the leaders to withdraw their leadership, stop the land ownership movement, and to accept the contract system [see SUA020830(9) and related updates for the long struggle about the tenancy]. Recent Events On Friday, 11 April, Younis Iqbal reportedly informed his family by phone that he was at the Okara residence of federal Defence Minister Rao Sikandar Iqbal. He reportedly asked the local AMP leadership to visit him at the minister's residence to discuss a package that the government would announce for the tenants on state-run agricultural and livestock farms if they gave up their struggle for proprietary rights. The next day, families of the missing AMP leaders were taken to the home of Defense Minister, Mr. Rao Sikandar Iqbal. There a meeting was held in which the family members were allowed to meet the missing leaders and pressure them to withdraw from their activities and to tell the people to sign the contract. Major Tahir Malik of the Okara Rangers, reportedly the person in charge of the operation, is alleged to be harassing the families of the detainees and other tenants of the Okara Military Farm. The Major is demanding that they sign the contract and withdraw the slogan "Ownership or Death". Family members of the detainees are being pressured to compel the leadership of AMP to withdraw from the movement. On Sunday, 13 April, Member of the Provincial Assembly, Ashraf Sohna of Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarian (Patriots), brought Younis Iqbal to Chak 10/4L, where he spoke to the tenants offering 12.5 hectares of substitute land and a seven year lease for the withdrawing their demand for land ownership. The tenants refused to withdraw their "Ownership or Death" slogan. Okara AMP Secretary-General David Zahid told a local newspaper that the tenants had made it clear to Mr Iqbal and his captors that they would not share the wheat crop with the farm management at any cost. "Ours is not a leader-oriented movement as it is the voice of one million landless tenants on state farms in the Punjab," he added. After this, Iqbal was reportedly taken away by the Member of the Provincial Assembly and his bodyguards. The tenants told the media that Iqbal was terrified of the treatment meted out to him by his captors. He also told the people who had gathered to see him that he was continuously administered injections which made him lose consciousness. On 14 April, in the absence of its General Secretary and Chairman, the AMP decided to replace them with other personnel. The Charges After a habaeus corpus writ in the Lahore High Court on 14 April, the police officials admitted that they had arrested the leaders of Anjuman Muzareen. A First Information Report (FIR # 52/2003) was lodged against them under sections 186, 353 and 216-A/34 of the Pakistan Penal Code for allegedly obstructing a public servant in the discharge of public functions and assault to deter a police officer from discharging his duties. Hotline Asia is reliably informed that the charges have clearly been fabricated to justify the arrests. Members of AMP (Women's Wing) have protested in front of the offices of various newspapers demanding the immediate release of the AMP leaders. Sources: |
|||||||||||||||
Please remember to send copies
of your letters to Hotline Asia for monitoring purpose. |