25 September 1999

Mr. Kofi Annan
Secretary General
United Nations
United Nations Plaza
New York, N.Y. 10017
USA

REQUEST FOR URGENT ACTION TO SAVE THE LIVES OF INNOCENT PEOPLE OF PAKISTAN FROM THE AUTOCRATIC RULE OF NAWAZ SHARIF

Dear Secretary General

I am writing to bring to your notice once again the incident of State suppression, blatant violations of the Constitution of Pakistan and fundamental rights by the Government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in Pakistan towards the Mohajir in general and their representative political party, the MQM in particular.

In continuation to the peaceful protest campaign against the ongoing genocide of the Mohajir Nation and other undemocratic, unconstitutional and anti-people steps of the Government of Nawaz Sharif, the MQM Co-ordination Committee had announced to hold a public rally on 25 September 1999. The object of this rally was to peacefully protest against the tyrannical rule of Nawaz Sharif and show the national and the international community that the people of Pakistan stand united against the tyrannical rule of Nawaz Sharif. Major opposition parties of Pakistan also agreed in principle to participate in this peaceful public rally.

Dear Secretary General

You may recall that on 11 September 1999, the MQM had also announced to hold a similar rally in Karachi, Pakistan, which was brutally crushed down by the Government of Nawaz Sharif with the use of brute State force. Hundreds of Mohajir women were brutally beaten-up, their clothes were torn apart and they were detained overnight in the police stations. Also included amongst these detained Mohajir women were small girls between 10 to 12 years old. Thousands of male participants belonging to the MQM were also brutally tortured and unlawfully arrested. The entire MQM leadership including the elected representatives were also physically manhandled, dragged along the streets and arrested unlawfully. Among those who were arrested and manhandled on that day were Senator Aftab Ahmed Sheikh (Deputy Convenor of MQM Co-ordination Committee), Lady Senator Nasreen Jalil (Deputy Convenor of MQM Co-ordination Committee and the Chairperson of Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights in Pakistan), Dr. Farooq Sattar (Parliamentary Leader of MQM in the Provincial Assembly of Sindh), Mr. Kanwar Khalid Younus (Member of National Assembly of Pakistan), Mr. Arif Khan Advocate (Member of National Assembly of Pakistan), Mr. Hassan Musanna Alvi (Member of National Assembly of Pakistan), Mr. Mohammad Yousuf Khan (Member of Provincial Assembly of Sindh), Mr. Mohammad Hussain (Member of Provincial Assembly of Sindh), Mr. Zahid Qureshi (Member of Provincial Assembly of Sindh) and Mr. Liaquat Ali Qureshi (Member of Provincial Assembly of Sindh).

Dear Secretary General

To continue with its MQM crush policy, the Government of Nawaz Sharif directed the Police and other Law Enforcement Agencies in Karachi to sabotage the public rally on 25 September 1999. Large number of police and other law enforcement personnel were called in from other provinces of Pakistan, particularly Punjab as reinforcement and to carry out this conspiracy on a vast scale.

According to their evil plan, first raid was conducted at Nine Zero, the MQM Head Office at around 12.30 a.m., and the police threatened those present on duty. A similar police raid was conducted at around 1.30 a.m., at the residence of Senator Mustapha Kamal Rizvi, Member of MQM Co-ordination Committee. As he was not present in the house, the raiding party harassed his family and threatened them. Thereafter at around 2 a.m., the Police party led by DSP Irfan Bahadur, DSP Chaudhry Aslam and SHO Ghazanfar Kazmi, raided the Nine Zero for the second time. During this raid, they misbehaved with those present on duty and ransacked the office. They also threatened and molested the female members present at Nine Zero. At around 3.30 a.m., heavy contingent of police raided the residence of Mr. Abdul Qadir Lakhani (Member of Provincial Assembly of Sindh) and in his absence they arrested his two sons Abdul Raheem 27 and Mohammad Shafi 25. At around 6.30 a.m., a police party comprising of dozens of police mobiles, led by SHO Women Police Station Lubna Tiwana, raided the residence of Senator Nasreen Jalil (Mrs) and arrested her. Furthermore, it is now confirmed and also reported by all the international news agencies that thousands of MQM leaders, elected representatives, workers and supporters have been unlawfully arrested to sabotage the public rally of opposition parties.

Still horrified and fearful of the success of the rally despite all these arrests, the Police blocked every street and square of Karachi, particularly those leading towards the public gathering point at Clifton, Karachi. The MQM Head Office (Nine Zero) at Azizabad, Karachi, was kept under siege throughout the night of 24 September 1999 and this siege continued the following day. Dozens of Police Mobiles and Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) were deployed in the area to block all the roads and streets leading to Nine Zero.

At around 4.30 p.m., the personnel of Police arrested Senator Aftab Ahmed Sheikh, Deputy Convenor of MQM Co-ordination Committee, from Defence, Karachi. He was on his way over to Clifton to join the public rally. Similarly, Mr. Zahid Qureshi, Member of Provincial Assembly Sindh belonging to the MQM, was also arrested while trying to enter into Clifton, Karachi. Mr. Hassan Musanna Alvi, Member of National Assembly of Pakistan, belonging to the MQM, was also arrested at around 5.30 p.m., from Clifton, Karachi. Ms Zarina Mahmood and Ms Naseema Sardar, Members of MQM Ladies Wing were arrested and sent to jail. Similarly leaders of other opposition political parties were also brutally tortured and arrested by the Police.

Dear Secretary General

The most horrifying aspect of this sabotage operation of Nawaz Government was the brutal treatment meted out to women participants of the rally. Hundreds of women were arrested from different localities of Karachi and taken either to unknown destinations or to the 'Safe Houses' (private houses turned into detention centres). They were verbally abused, molested and severely tortured while being arrested. With no consideration and respect towards the peaceful female participants of the rally and to terrorise them, the police resorted to heavy baton charge, intense teargas shelling and indiscriminate shooting.

Dear Secretary General

Once again these brutal acts of the Nawaz Sharif Government upon the peaceful demonstrators of Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) and other opposition parties has proved the inability, total denial and hatred of the Nawaz Sharif Government towards democratic system and respect to human rights. The persistent acts of State terrorism by the Government of Nawaz Sharif are not only blatant denial to the safe-guards provided to every citizen by the Constitution of Pakistan but also have played havoc with the very foundations of United Nations Charter, Conventions and Covenants and other International Laws.

Dear Secretary General

Such state of affairs warrants immediate attention of the international community, human rights organisations, particularly the United Nations, and immediate indulgence of your good offices to stop the Government of Nawaz Sharif from unleashing extensive and perverse State terrorism.

I, therefore, request you to urgently take personal notice of the brutalities and violations of human rights by the Government of Nawaz Sharif and take necessary steps in this regard to save the lives of innocent people of Pakistan, particularly the Mohajirs living in the Sindh, southern province of Pakistan from the autocratic rule of Nawaz Sharif.

Yours sincerely

Dr. Imran Farooq
Convenor
MQM Central Co-ordination Committee

Cops Quash Pakistan Opposition Rally    (Associated Press)
Pakistan Police Block Rally With Arrests  (Reuters)
Thousands held in Karachi as police foil anti-government rally    AFP
Protest stopped in Karachi BBC South Asia