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Tariq Mehmood in Toba Tek Singh jail
Labour Party Pakistan - August 18, 2009
Farooq Tariq – Labour Party Pakistan Toba Tek Singh held a meeting on 17 August to chart out a plan of action against the arrest of Tariq Mehmood, general secretary LPP Toba Tek Singh.
The meeting was held at LPP office Toba Tek Singh and members of LPP from all over district participated. The meeting decided to launch a campaign for the release of Tariq Mehmood. It has decided to hold a protest public meeting on Sunday 23rd August in Toba Tek Singh at Iqbal Nagar LPP office.
The protest meeting on 23 August will be addressed by leaders of different trade unions, Human Rights organizations and peasant organizations. Several leading Left leaders including Choudry Fateh Mohammed president Pakistan Kissan Committee will speak on the occasion.
Tariq Mehmood was arrested 10 August by Gojra police on different serious charges including 7ATA. He is at present imprisoned at district jail Toba Tek Singh.
On 15 August, five of us went to meet Tariq Mehmood in jail. It was a difficult task to meet him but some of local influential contacts helped us to arrange this meeting.
Tariq was in good spirit and was full of energy to continue his fight for the minorities and working class. He told the details how he was arrested and why. He told us that the local police officers were looking for an excuse to take them on.
"Our party was consistently organizing activities for different sections of the working people. We were organizing new unions and groups and were motivating people to take the streets for pressing their rights. We fought against several incidents of domestic violence, rap cases, suspension from jobs and unpaid wages. These were my crimes".
About teh rape and missing women incident, Tariq told us about the alleged rape and missing of women in Gojra. He said when he visited the area, many spoke about the missing and women, who had fled from their homes and no one, knew about them. Although, all these stories have been told to me by local Christian community but those who told me may have gone back from their words. The missing women who fled their homes after the attacks of the religious fanatics on 29 July have returned now to their families.
Tariq said that he issued the press release in a good faith and bring up the issue as I was told at the spot. It was press release that was distributed to the press and not to the public.
Tariq said that he has not been treated badly so for by the police. Although, there was no point to arrest me on the charges labeled against me.
The situation in Toba has emerged like this that Tariq is been presented by the police as a counter balance to the arrests of those religious fanatics who have been alleged to burn the homes and people. Police is claiming to religious fundamentalist groups that we have made arrests from both sides. Police is treating Tariq case similar to those who have actually attacked the homes and burnt people alive.
Labour party Pakistan has decided to launch the movement for the release of Tariq, It has engaged lawyers in Faisalabad to present his innocence at the courts.
LPP appeal to all our friends nationally and internationally to raise their voice against the arrest and demand his immediate release.
Click here to view an appeal issued by the Asian Human Rights Commission, please act accordingly.
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