Pakistani rights group flays killings of water protesters
Khaleej Times
Pakistani
rights group flays killings of water protesters
ISLAMABAD - The Human Rights Commission of
Pakistan (HRCP) on Monday condemned the killings of two people by
police during a rally against water shortages and demanded the
lifting of a ban on public gatherings.
"HRCP condemns the recent, needless
loss of life caused during a peaceful protest when no threat was
presented to law and order," the independent commission said
in a statement.
Two people were killed and several others
injured when police opened fire on hundreds of protesters in Dadu
district of southern Sindh province on Sunday.
Police also fired teargas shells on
supporters of the ethnic-based Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and
a nationalist group Jeay Sindh Mahaz when they tried to block a
major highway, police said.
The protesters were blaming the authorities
for acute water shortages which have afflicted much of Pakistan
amid a severe drought.
Military ruler General Pervez Musharraf, who
took power in a coup in October 1999, has banned public rallies
and demonstrations.
Police have detained hundreds of protesters
since the coup, mostly opposition political party members calling
for the return of democracy.
"The closed mind shown by the
administration in denying people their right to assembly and
protest is taking a progressively more serious toll on society,"
the HRCP said.
"If this pattern of action remains in
place, further damage will be inflicted on society."
Pakistan has been hit by a severe drought
which has left the country's major dams virtually empty. Plans to
build more dams have been bogged down in inter-provincial
bickering.
The MQM represents immigrants from India who
have settled mostly in Sindh since the partition of the
subcontinent in 1947. - AFP