Thousands of Pakistani citizens have been arrested for joining widespread protests against the declaration of emergency rule in Pakistan. When President Pervez Musharraf suspended the constitution, fired supreme court judges, and enacted martial law in early November, crackdowns on labor ensued as well.
Two days after the decree, outspoken union leader Rana Ayub Aki was arrested and jailed. Aki is the leader of the 130,000-strong union inside the Pakistani Water and Development Authority. In the wake of these crackdowns, many labor leaders are being forced into hiding.
Union members and other activists organized a protest in early November at the Karachi Press Club, where police violently disrupted the gathering and arrested journalists, lawyers, and two labor leaders. One, Liaqat Ali Sahi, a leader at the State Bank of Pakistan and in the Hotel Workers Solidarity Committee, has been charged with treason for calling for the return of democracy at the November 5 rally. Musharraf’s emergency rule has given military courts the power to try civilians, and Sahi and three others face the death penalty.
International efforts by unions are underway to support Pakistani workers and help them restore their freedom of association and right to labor negotiations, which have been jeopardized. Restrictions imposed on demonstrations and public meetings will have a heavy impact on Pakistan’s workforce, as their unions will be unable to function freely and effectively to represent workers and uphold their rights.
Support an alliance of 32 civil society groups in Pakistan, which have released a statement demanding “the immediate unconditional release of all arrested lawyers, political leaders, workers, journalists, trade unionists, and other citizens, and immediate announcement of the schedule for holding free and fair and impartial elections.”
Help support them by sending messages of solidarity to the Pakistani Trade Union Defense Campaign, either or .
Readers can also call the Pakistani Embassy in the United States at 202-243-6500, or mail letters of protest to 3517 International Court N.W., Washington D.C. 20008.