A rally was organised today by the Jammu Kashmir Revolutionary Youth Alliance (JKRYA) and the United People’s Front (Muttahida Awami Mahaz) in the earthquake hit area of Muzzaffrabad, the capital of Pakistan-held Kashmir. Some 500 young activists turned out to protest against the newly formed Earthquake Rehabilitation Agency (ERA) of the government of Pakistan.
The demonstrators were demanding an end to utility bills, employment for all young people and an unemployment allowance of 5000 rupees per month for each young person.
The rally began marching towards the Assembly Hall in Muzaffarabad when the police confronted them. The police, on the orders of the government, brutally baton charged the demonstrators and arrested eleven leading young activists.
Among the arrested are Shahzad Rathore, Sardar Tasleem, Shahid Qayum, Kalb-e- Abbas, Shaiq Gillani and Suhail Iqbal. Comrade Rashid Shah, the coordinator of the People’s United Front in Jhelum Valley, was also arrested.
We appeal to all student organisations and trade unions around the world to support us getting these comrades released.
We are organising demonstrations, rallies and pickets throughout Kashmir and Pakistan for the release of our comrades and appeal to all our supporters and sympathisers around the world to mobilise protest actions. Phone your local Pakistani embassies, organise pickets, raise the issue inside your local labour movement organisations. Do not leave your Pakistani comrades in these terrible conditions without doing everything in your power to stop this brutal regime.
You can send a protest message to the President of Pakistan by going to this site:
http://www.presidentofpakistan.gov.pk/Write2thePresident.aspx
You can also find your local Pakistani embassy, if you wish to write to them, at:
http://www.embassyworld.com/embassy/pakistan.htm
And of course solidarity messages can be sent to:
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