| |
Press Release
The World Sindhi Institute
November 03, 2007
Washington, DC: "The long anticipated declaration of emergency
in Pakistan by its military dictator General Musharraf is simply
an illustration of what has been the reality of Pakistan for
the past several decades in general and specifically under the
brutal rule of General Musharraf and his predecessor General
Zia ul Haque," contends the World Sindhi Institute, a Washington
DC based human rights advocacy group. Zahid Makhdoom, President
of the Institute said in a press statement, "General Musharraf's
declaration of emergency demonstrates the obvious reality of
Pakistani political economy, wherein it’s military has
now come to occupy every nook and cranny of its politics and
economy". He further said that, "the fact that Musharraf's
regime occupies a significant place in the so-called 'war on
terrorism', his actions would likely be condoned by the Western
democracies as a part of his policy to contain Islamic radicalism'.
"However," he went on to say, "Musharraf's attack
is not on fundamentalism and obscurantism plaguing Pakistan
today but is a naked onslaught on the rule of law as he is now
drawing moral equivalence between the fundamentalist rogue mullahs
and the learned judges of an ostensibly independent judiciary".
He said that a "clear and concise policy against militarism
and militarization of politics and economy of Pakistan is perhaps
the only effective manner in which democratic forces can express
their solidarity with the struggling and deeply brutalized people
of Pakistan ”.
The Institute’s Executive Director,
Munawar Laghari, urged all democratic countries to disassociate
themselves from the brutal regime of Musharraf and urged them
to side with the religious and ethnic minorities, less-populated
provinces, dispossessed peasant and urban workers, women,
children, and all those who have been struggling for democracy,
secularism, and the rule of law in Pakistan . He said that,
"in its present shape, Pakistan has tragically become
an ugly blot on the face of our contemporary world and that
there is a need to impose economic and military sanctions
against the brutal regime of Musharraf". “In fact,”
he added, “the religious fundamentalism of Al-Qaeda on
one hand and militarism of Musharraf & fascism of ISI
on the other hand, are two facets of the same coin”.
He urged the western democracies to overcome their myopia
by supporting the genuine popular struggles for democracy
and the rule of law, instead of legitimizing the brutal and
fascistic regimes for some short-term gains.
The World Sindhi Institute will hold its 8th Annual International
Conference on Friday, November 09, 2007 from 3:30 to 9:00
pm at the Charles Sumner School & Museum, 1201 17th Street
NW , Washington , DC 20036 . Mr. Hussain Haroon, former Speaker
of Sindh Assembly will lead a discussion on the current situation
in Pakistan .
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Through nonviolent means, The World Sindhi Institute works
relentlessly
for universal human rights and humanitarian law for the Sindhis
of Sindh, in southeastern Pakistan
For more information, contact Munawar Laghari, Executive Director
World Sindhi Institute at:
wsihq@worldsindhi.org, 202-223-1777 (w), 202-378-0333 (c)
1050 17th St. N.W., Ste. # 700, Washington, DC 20036. Or visit
www.worldsindhi.org (banned in Pakistan)
worldsindhi.org
|
|