Aftermath of Long March & Remembering Sindhi Victims

By Khalid Hashmani, McLean, Virginia, USA

Aftermath of Long March and APNA Politicians Polarize Pakistanis in North America/Remembering Sindhi Victims

Last couple of weeks have been rather hectic for North American Pakistani community, particularly in Washington DC. Another saga of verbal warfare of accusations and counter-accusations started at the last week’ APNA conference in Washington DC and later cumulated in New York. 

 
The first event was an example of cooperation and collective approach to finding solutions, which was organized by Pakistani-American Congress (PAC). However, as the APNA conference rolled in the city, this cooperation soon digressed into insulting behavior of JI and PTI influenced doctors towards Pakistani Ambassador at the APNA conference. The final display of the dividing loyalties was played out in New York, where PPP supporters got angry when Justice (retired) Wajihuddin made some insulting remarks against Shahidani Benazir Bhutto and other PPP leaders. In between these events, some Sindhi jodhas paid tributes to Sindhi victims of torture at various events organized by the Torture Abolition and Survivors Support Coalition International (TASSC). 
 
A representative of a sub-group within APNA that claims to stand for justice and democracy immediately sent to me a link to a YouTube tape that showed PPP sympathizers raising slogans. However, the partisanship of this sub-group was so pitiful that they neither had courtesy nor courage to send any links to several media reports that describe the “goondaghardi” by JI/PTI/PML-N sympathizers in various APNA events.
 
 
A more detailed account of each of these events and appropriate links are provided in the brief report below.
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PAKISTANI AMERICAN CONGRESS (PAC) CONFERENCE ON JUNE 17-18
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The 16th Annual Conference of Pakistani American Congress (PAC) was held on 17-18 June 2008 in Washington DC, USA. The theme of the  Convention was  ”How to Establish Independent Judiciary, Human Rights and Civil Democracy in Pakistan?” and consisted of the following three events:

(1) PAC DINNER Hosted by Pakistan Ambassador to the USA Mr. Husain Haqqani.

(2) PAC Conference at Westin Hotel, Washington DC, where speakers included U.S. Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Mr. Donald A. Camp, Ambassador of Pakistan to the USA Mr. Husain Haqqani. and experts on US-Pakistan affairs  (Lisa Curtis, Mr. Rodney Jones, Mr. Marvin Wienbaum, and others).

(3) PAC RECEPTION for the Members of Congress at Cannon House Office Building with chief guest Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Congresswoman Ms. Allyson Y. Schwartz.

 
  
MEET AITZAZ AHSAN AT AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL (JUNE 26, 2008)
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Mr. Aitzaz Ahsan addressed a group of about 70 persons gathered at the Washington DC office of Amnesty International. Mr. T. Kumar welcomed the keynote speaker. The audience consisted mainly of JI, PTI and PML-N sympathizers and local Pakistani journalists. Mr. Ahsan reiterated the history of the Lawyer’s movement and provided a synopsis of the events that led to the dismissal of Justice Iftikhar Choudhry and other judges of the Pakistan supreme court. He praised Justice Choudhry for his courageous stand in resisting the establishment by taking several suo moto actions. He warned that the Lawyers Movement may go violent. He criticized the US government for their lack of support on the restoration of justices. In an answer to a question, Mr. Ahsan said that other than the restoration of judges, he had no other differences with PPP and was a member of good standing in the party. In response to another question, he said that many people say that Mr. Asif Zardari was corrupt but the government after trying their best for eight years could not convict him. He added that one may say that justice delayed was justice denied. I (Khalid Hashmani), while asking a question, pointed that Mr. Ahsan and some other parties called for the boycott of the elections but people disregarded that call and voted in large numbers. As democrates, it is their duty to now respect the will of people and give chance to the elected representatives of people to find solutions. I also pointed out the Parliament has been considering some creative solutions to resolve the issue such as increasing number of justices to accomodate both the current and the lawyers to be ininstated and that he and other lawyers should support the Parliament to work out a solution. Mr. Ahsan instead of answering my question directly said that suggestions such as Chief Justice Choudhry should retire or resign is like punshing the victim (although I had never suggested that the dismissed justices should resign in my question).
 
  http://www.dawn. com/2008/ 06/28/nat1. htm

 

 

 
APNA CONFERENCE ON JUNE (June 27, 2008) IN WASHINGTON DC
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The speaker’s session fell victim to the unruly crowd who hurrled insults against Ambassador Husain Haqqaani, People’s Party and its leaders. According to newspaper reports supportors of Jammt-iu-Islami overshadowed the meeting and their slogans were heard in the hotel’s convention hall where representatives from the US Congress, State Department and various think-tanks were also present. It appears that the aim of diruptors was to convey to the US officials that the current government of Pakistan no longer enjoys the confidence of its people. Other newspaper reports say that hundreds attended the political discussions but very few people were actually listening to speakers and mostly they were displaying their anger at the representatives of the political parties, they did not like. The event detoriated to such a state that Ambassador Hussain Haqqani came to the stage and urged audience to listen to those who disagree with them and remarked “If this is how treat your speakers, why do you invite them?”.  But, the mainily JI, PTI, PML-N supporters and some some conservatives hiding under their “liberal and progressive” overalls were in no mood to listen to any one except their own leaders and sympathizers. At some point the US security guards had to intervene. The guards gave escort to Amabassor Haqqani to leave the meeting hall and stopped Congreesman Keith Ellison, the only Muslim member of the US Congress, to address the angry crowd. The leaders who received warm reception included Hafiz Salman Butt, a JI leader, PML-N’s Ahsan Iqbal, and Mr. Aitzaz Ahsan. By the time the turn of other speakers came, most people had lost interest in the meeting and had split into groups and were mostly discussing if it was right to treat the ambassador the way they did.

 

http://www.dawn. com/2008/ 06/30/nat3. htm
http://www.dawn. com/2008/ 06/30/nat3. htm

SINDHI VICTIMS REMEMBERED IN WASHINGTON DC (JUNE 26-28, 2008)
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The local human rights organizations joined hands to hold several events in conjunction with the U.N. International Day in Support of Torture Victims and Survivors. The main sponsor of the event was the Torture Abolition and Survivors Support Coalition International (TASSC). On Thursday (June 26),  a movie titled Breaking the Silence on the victims of state torture was screened at a local theatre. The movie contained interviews with some torture victims and included fellow Sindhi Mr. Munawar Laghari relayed his story of the torture that he suffered in Pakistani prisons. A seminar was held on Friday (June 27), where victims of torture talked about about the torture situations in their home country. Finally, on Saturday (June 28), a 24-hour vigil was held at LAFAYETTE Park, in front of the White House. Many victims of torture including those from Sindh and Balochistan were remembered. For detailed reports, please visit: www.tassc.org

PAKISTANI COMMUNITY GATHERING IN NEW YORK (June 30, 2008)
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The sympathisers of People’s Party Pakistan reacted strongly when  Justice (retired) Wajihuddin made critical remarks about PPP leaders at a New York meeting organized by Pakistani American Advocates for Human Rights. A shouting match and circus-like atmosphere erupted when retired justice Wajihuddin used harsh language against Shahidani Benazir Bhutto. Mr. Wajihuddin told audience  to shut up and listen to him. A tension between Wajihuddin and Mr. Aitzaz Ahsan was clearly be viewed as Mr. Aitzaz Ahsan kept reading book without looking up while Mr. Wajihuddin spoke. A newspaper report says “Pandemonium rose to a crescendo with slogans of ‘Go Musharraf Go”, ‘Jiye Bhutto’ and ‘Benazir Zindabad’, as the organisers strove to calm the enraged crowd…..”.  Accoding to the same report “He (Wajihuddin) continually lost his cool with the audience telling them to shut up, until the organisers intervened to calm the audience down. Aitzaz Ahsan was heard asking Justice Wajihuddin to sit down and end his speech…… “

http://www.dawn.com/2008/07/01/nat2.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiIk8JCdyaQ