Altaf demands withdrawal of Pakistan Protection Ordinance
Says Pakistan Protection Ordinance is authoritarian, undemocratic and unconstitutional.
KARACHI (Dunya News) - MQM chief Altaf Hussain has strongly condemned the Pakistan Protection Ordinance and has demanded its withdrawal from the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Altaf has termed the ordinance authoritarian, undemocratic and unconstitutional.
Mr. Hussain has demanded withdrawal of the ordinance because he fears it could be used for violating a person’s human rights.
He expressed these views while addressing the Rabita Committee, Hyderabad’s Zonal Committee and other departments.
Addressing the prime minister in his speech, he said, “We had tried to persuade you not to establish special courts in 1988, but you rebuffed our pleas and requests. We saw that one such special court awarded you a sentence. Now, you have committed the same mistake again by promulgating this undemocratic and unconstitutional ordinance. This ordinance can be used to persecute you and your friends in future.”
“You have allowed police and law enforcement agencies to keep people in detention for 90 days. May I ask who would be responsible for deaths of detainees if they die of police torture in custody,” asked Altaf Hussain.
MQM chief deplored the silence of lawyers and human rights organizations over this undemocratic and unconstitutional ordinance. He said people and organizations who believe on human rights should express their condemnations vocally.
He also made an appeal to the Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry to revoke this ordinance because it violates the fundamental rights of a person.
Altaf Hussain condemned the arrest of MQM Surjani Town’s Sector in-charge Islam-ul-Haq and deplored that MQM which had been making efforts for peace and order in the country and the province was being targeted and its leaders were being arrested on trumped-up charges. He said that supporters of killers who had killed thousands of policemen and army jawans were freely roaming about and carrying out their political activities. These terrorists have attacked our defense installations and released the videos of executions of our soldiers.
He deplored those who had pronounced terrorists as martyrs were allowed to stage protests in their support while MQM was being targeting. He added that patriotic people belonging to MQM could not carry out their peaceful political activities because of raids and arrests and they could not stay at their home because of oppressive measures of the government. He asked what kind of justice was this.
Altaf demanded that Islam-ul-Haq should be produced before the court and put in jail custody.
