Voicing a staunch opposition to the emergency rule in the country, the Alliance for Protection of Human Rights (APHR), a group of civil society organisations, has renewed the pledge to continue the struggle for withdrawal of proclamation of emergency; re-instatement of the Constitution; restoration of the judiciary and the lifting of the curbs on the independent media.
In a press release issued here on Tuesday, the eight-memebr Alliance comprising Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, Aurat Foundation, Shirkat Gah, Strengthening Participatory Organisation, Human Resource Management and Development Center, Noor Education, Khwendo Kor and Sungi Foundation termed the emergency and promulgation of Provisional Constitutional Order (PCO) an insult to 160 million people of the country, democracy and the civil society at large.
Condemning the crackdown launched by the military-led regime after the imposition of emergency, the rights organisations said the civil society stands firm in its stance on emergency, suspension of the Constitution, promulgation of Provisional Constitution Order and the unending crackdown on the independent judiciary, free media, political parties and civil society organisations.
Flaying the actions taken by General Pervez Musharraf since November 3, 2007 as illegal, the APHR said that the second coup by General Musharraf had been staged mainly against the judiciary that was questioning his unrepresentative rule and doubtful re-election.
The rights group said the civil society would continue to resist and condemn the actions resorted to by the military-led regime under emergency. The APHR took a strong exception to the banning of independent private TV channels of the country - Geo and ARY - on November 17, 2007 and said the step was a negation of the basic rights of the people to have a free access to information.
The group said the regime was, in fact, gagging the media and putting economic pressure on the free media persons, who had stood by the courageous judges to protect the Constitution.
Criticising the joining of the caretaker set-ups in four provinces by some civil society members, the APHR said such people have joined hands with a dictator just to further their personal interests.
The rights bodies said these opportunists did not represent the entire civil society and took the hated step of entering the caretaker set-ups in the individual capacity.
They have, in fact, broken ranks with the civil society and millions of people in the country who are going through the rigors of state torture and jails in their quest for rule of the law, added the press release.
Terming a handful of individuals, who had joined the caretaker governments in the four provinces as black sheep, the APHR said the civil society disowned such collaborators of the military-led regime and would observe their social boycott to express resentment at the services they have offered to the dictator in these testing times of the nation.-PR