Rights activists protest against Sabeen killing

LAHORE
Human rights activists, students and trade union leaders gathered outside the Lahore Press Club on Tuesday to protest the killing of rights activist Sabeen Mahmud in Karachi by unidentified men and the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Bill 2015 what they termed an attempt to infringe on their constitutional right to freedom of expression.
Activists carried banners and chanted slogans stating that they would not be silenced and discussions on the state of enforced disappearances in Balochistan would continue despite threats and warnings.
They told The News that the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Bill 2015 was against the activism of the assassinated Mahmud and termed it a draconian attempt to censor debate and criticism of politicians and those in power.
Civil society representatives expressed solidarity with the Baloch people in addressing their grievances and called for the state to act against target killing of progressive figures.
Past examples of the targeted human rights lawyer Rashid Rehman, social worker Parveen Rehman, and the survived senior journalist Hamid Mir were quoted as failures of the state to bring their perpetrators to justice.
Time and time again, civil society organises candlelit vigils and rallies for those killed without getting assurance from the government and establishment, said civil society representatives.
Representing the progressives and leftists of Pakistan, the Awami Workers Party workers stated that the way to mourn the loss of a dear comrade like Mahmud is to continue her mission. This will entail enabling free flow of ideas and information through constant conversations about issues like human rights violations.
Addressing the demonstration, AWP finance secretary Shazia Khan said Mahmud’s killing was only the most recent example of the silencing of progressive voices that had dared to speak about the plight of the oppressed classes and nationalities in Pakistan. She recalled that in the past intellectuals like Faiz Ahmed Faiz and Habib Jalib and leftist activists like Hasan Nasir and Abdul Rehman had suffered the wrath of powers-that-be for raising their voices for democracy, freedom of expression and civil liberties for all peoples and nationalities that inhabit the country.
AWP general secretary Farooq Tariq highlighted the need for progressives to join hands in the struggle for promotion of civil liberties and political rights in the country. He criticized the leadership of major political parties for their failure to protect civilian supremacy.
Later talking to The News, Tariq said they were similarities in the case of Sabeen Mahmud and Hamid Mir, demanding that the Hamid Mir inquiry commission report be made public.
At a time when fundamentalists are ruling public discourse, the AWP General Secretary said restrictions on free speech would disadvantage progressives and their activism of the rights of missing persons in Balochistan, which could be penalized for hurting Pakistan’s so-called national interests.
Yousaf Baloch represented the All Pakistan Workers Confederation at the demonstration.
He said trade unions had been allied with progressive forces from day one to secure political rights and liberties for the people.
He said Mahmud’s sacrifice should serve as a warning to the progressives that they could struggle against the oppressive state elite only through unity in their ranks.
Founder of Pakistan Feminist Watch, Nabiha Meher Shaikh said the killing of Mahmud had sent a strong violent message to human right defenders in Pakistan and those individuals propagating alternative education like Sabeen that countered state-sanctioned thought and speech. She termed the cyber crimes bill a draconian and said it would be counterproductive to solving harassment problems faced by women.
Executive Director of Women in Struggle for Empowerment, Bushra Khaliq said the harassment of human rights defenders must be curbed and the killing of Mahmud was meant to target those providing a platform to the Baloch. Khaliq praised Sabeen Mahmud for having the courage to hold the talk after it was cancelled by LUMS administration.
Director of Working Women Organisation, Aima Mehmood promised that civil society would strongly protest the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Bill 2015.
The protestors demanded a fair and impartial investigation of Mahmud’s murder. They said an investigation that ended in fixing the responsibility on unidentified persons would not be acceptable to the progressive and leftist forces in the country.
They said that they would continue to hold demonstrations and stay in the streets until the perpetrators were exposed and brought to justice.