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Ali Wazeer detention: Uproar in the National Assembly – Need for international solidarity

Saturday 1 June 2019, by Farooq Tariq

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Yesterday was an explosive day at the national parliament. Bilawal Bhutto, son of Benazhir Bhutto who heads the Pakistan Peoples Party had written a two-page letter addressed to the speaker of the Assembly to order for the production of Ali Wazeer, from jail to the National Parliament on Friday. This is a normal practice. Any parliamentarian in jail has a right to attend the Assembly session.

However, the speaker of the Assembly told the Parliament that he did not receive the letter. This was a blatant lie. Then a Federal Minister termed Ali Wazeer an anti-Pakistan and agent of Afghanistan and that his membership in the National Assembly should be suspended. In response, Bilawal Bhutto shouted at the Minister, and then whole opposition went to the desk of the speaker and made a massive protest. The speaker had to postpone the session.

It was a live broadcast yesterday, and made headline news today.

Now some of PPP Parliamentarians are saying openly during TV debates that Ali Wazeer is innocent and did not attack the army check post, Army fired on him. It is the first time that anyone on national TV would say that the army has fired on innocent protesters.

We are printing our daily paper with the latest news and it is becoming a hit all over Pakistan. Our articles are shared and it is bringing arguments to the activists. I have become like a daily newspaper journalist who has to write late at night a lead story based on the whole day’s developments and they are very well read.

Please take up the issue of Ali Wazeer. As for Baba Jan, we need international support. The initial step is our petition taken up by ESSF to be signed and all groups should work on that, please (see the link below).

For the second step, we will propose an international day of action in solidarity with Ali Wazeer and Muhsan Dawar. Any public action would be good: a picket line, handing over the petition to Pakistani embassies or writing letters to them, and so on. Comrades can send their meeting photographs holding small A 4 papers with writing, “Release Ali Wazeer and Muhsan Dawar”

Muhsan Dawar is the other Parliamentarian with Ali Wazeer who courted his arrest day before yesterday.

There are already demonstrations taking place in Europe by Pakistani diaspora.

In solidarity,

Farooq Tariq

1 June 2019

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