Pakistan Under the Gun - Dec. 11th Forum |
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PEJ Events |
Monday, 17 December 2007 12:48 |
Pakistan Under the Gun
Perspectives on Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law Public Forum, Film Screening and Discussion. TUES, DEC 11th, 2007 @ 6:30 pm. Alma Van Dusen Room, Vancouver Public Library. 350 West Georgia, Vancouver FREE EVENT. For more information, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call 604.764.6257 Join us for a public forum and interactive discussion on human rights, democracy and the rule of law in Pakistan. Support the resistance of the Pakistani people! Co-sponsored by: Vancouver and District Labour Council India Pakistan Peace Network (IPPN) South Asian Network for Secularism and Democracy (SANSAD) Lawyers' Rights Watch Canada Endorsed by the PSAC International Solidarity Committee FILM SCREENING: Showing for the first time in Vancouver, "MISSING IN PAKISTAN" Newly released documentary from Pakistan. The Pakistani government is repeatedly preventing students from showing this film in the country. The declaration of a state of emergency and the subsequent actions of the Musharraf regime have pushed Pakistan and its people to the brink and have resulted in widespread outrage and protests within the country and throughout the world. The resistance movement within Pakistan has been growing stronger by the day, bolstered by international support from human rights and civil rights organizations, journalists, trade unions, lawyers' groups and many others. Events in the country are unfolding at a rapid pace. President Musharraf has scheduled elections for January and has said that he will lift the state of emergency in the near future. Yet there have been no commitments to restore the suspended Supreme Court Justices (many of whom remain under strict house arrest) or lift the bans on the media or free the political prisoners who remain in detention. To fuel the blaze, all justices who refused to take oath under the unlawful PCO (Provisional Constitution Order) have been given a forceful retirement. The lifting of the state of emergency and scheduling of an election for January will also not address many critical issues facing Pakistan such as the continued oppression of the many tribal people in the country, brutal conditions of poverty faced by more than 1/3 of the population, repression of trade union activities and the widespread and growing cases of enforced disappearances and extra-judicial detentions of hundreds of people in the name of national security and the U.S led war on terror. In this setting, what are the prospects for peace, democracy and human rights in Pakistan? Is it possible to have a fair, free and impartial election without the restoration of the judiciary? What does democracy look like and how can it be achieved given the historical and present day political realities in the country? What role has the U.S played in the history of Pakistan and the region? How does this impact the current situation, particularly in relation to the U.S led war on terror and the resulting assault on civil liberties in Pakistan, the surrounding region and around the world? |
Last Updated on Monday, 17 December 2007 12:48 |