Foreign Correspondence

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Pakistan 50,000 activists held, claims PPP


Bush has targeted Pakistan for ‘democracy’.
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Under Musharraf China has acquired signals-monitoring facilities, according to U.S. reports, at a port it is building in cooperation with Pakistan near the Iranian border at Gwadar, which looks out over tankers exiting the Persian Gulf.

A presence at Gwadar deep-sea port would place the Chinese navy next to Iran’s shipping lane the Strait of Hormuz. Hormuz is a major global shipping choke point.

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Bush has to get rid of Musharraf.

-Am

Pakistan 50,000 activists held, claims PPP

* Party offices sealed in Lahore, Islamabad and Karachi
* PPP leaders Jehangir Badr, Qaim Ali Shah, Qasim Zia, Chan and Munir Khan arrested

By Mubasher Bukhari

LAHORE: Sindh, Punjab and Balochistan police arrested tens of thousands Pakistan People’s Party activists, continuing the government’s crackdown on Friday. The activists were on their way to Lahore airport to welcome Asif Ali Zardari, spouse of the former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. Zardari is scheduled to arrive in Lahore today (Saturday).

The PPP claimed that over 50,000 activists were arrested all over the country and the army had been deployed in Sindh to block the super highway. The party said the police sealed its offices in Lahore, Islamabad and Karachi and a heavy police contingent had been sent to Bilawal House Lahore, which arrested dozens of party leaders.

Addressing a news conference at Bilawal House, International Media Committee coordinator MNA Sherry Rehman said, “The government has declared Punjab a no-go area for PPP Sindh’s activists and have blocked all caravans leading to Lahore.” She claimed that over 25,000 activists had been arrested in Sindh and Punjab, adding that police had also arrested hundreds of female activists.

PPP Sindh Information Secretary Dr Fehmida Mirza, Benazir Bhutto’s spokesman Munawar Anjum and Malik Hakmeen Khan also addressed the news conference. Dr Fehmida Mirza said that around 40,000 activists were stranded in Abauro, a border town between Sindh and Punjab, because the army had been sent to stop them from traveling further. She added that 15,000 activists had been stopped at Badin.

Mirza said that 7,500 activists were coming from the North West Frontier Province but the Punjab government had blocked Attock Bridge, causing traffic jams in Attock.

Meanwhile, police told the people inside Bilawal House to stay inside or they would be arrested. Rehman contacted renowned human rights activist Asma Jehangir who talked with police high-ups and rescued the trapped PPP leaders. However, sources said that PPP leaders Jehangir Badr, Qaim Ali Shah, Qasim Zia, Haji Azizur Rehman Chan and Munir Khan were arrested from PPP leader Ejaz Ali Shah’s house in Defence. They were detained at Sarwar Road police station. Police officials said the PPP leaders were arrested for defying Section 144 and would be sent to judicial lock-up today.

PPP Balochistan Information Secretary Saadullah Shah told Daily Times that hundreds of the PPP activists, on their way to Lahore, were arrested in Lasbela. The party also issued guidelines to activists complaining about being forcibly stopped from going to Lahore airport.

In a message to party activists, Senator Farhatullah Babar said the workers should reach the Lahore airport by any means possible. He told the workers to stage a peaceful sit-in, if the police stopped them and again try to come to the airport. In case of police violence, Babar said the workers should regroup and stage another sit-in.

Shahzad Malik adds from Islamabad: The police arrested over 300 Pakistan Peoples Party-Parliamentarians (PPP-P) activists who had gathered near Aabpara to proceed to Lahore, sources told Daily Times. Police officials in plain clothes apprehended the PPP-P workers and shifted them to various police stations. Quite a few PPP-P workers were also arrested from their residencies during raids by the Rawalpindi Police, said sources.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_16-4-2005_pg1_1