After spending two months as political prisoners, several leaders of the Awami Action Committee Gilgit-Baltistan (half the total number of detainees) have been granted bail. We expect them to be released today.
On 30 July, the Revolutionary Communist International is calling for a day of action outside of Pakistani diplomatic buildings all over the world to demand freedom for the rest!
The authorities in Gilgit-Baltistan, on the orders of the generals in Islamabad, have continued their repression against the AAC-GB and its supporters. Last week, the young AAC-GB leader Sarfraz Nagri was arrested at his home after he organised a long march in Nagar, mostly of women protestors, calling for the release of his comrades. This brought the total number of imprisoned leaders and activists to 16.
In an inspirational demonstration of solidarity, Nagri’s arrest provoked a powerful, spontaneous protest that lasted for more than 30 hours, closing down the main highway in Nagar and forcing the authorities to let him go. Subsequently, bail was granted to Aslam Inqalabi, Waheed Hasan, Asghar Shah, Nafees Advocate, Azmat Ali, Ishtiaq Hussain and Haji Naib Khan.
This reprieve would not have been achieved without the courageous and unrelenting struggle of the AAC-GB’s supporters, both in Gilgit-Baltistan and throughout Pakistan; combined with the international solidarity campaign that has turned a global spotlight on the criminal behaviour of the Pakistani state.
In the past week, a comrade of the Revolutionary Communist Party in Britain successfully passed a motion of solidarity with the AAC-GB at the national policy conference for Unite: one of the biggest unions in the country, representing 1.2 million workers. A comrade of Parti Communiste Révolutionnaire also passed a motion through the Thalès branch of one of France’s biggest union confederations, CGT.
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These powerful workers’ organisations will now add their voices to the hundreds of trade union branches, labour leaders, politicians and activists who have endorsed our campaign.
This international solidarity is critical, because the fight is far from over. The AAC-GB leaders on bail have not been acquitted, and after their release, they could easily be returned to jail. Moreover, eight have not been granted bail. These are Ehsan Ali, Masood ur Rehman, Mehbob Wali, Mumtaz Nagari, Taaruf Abbas, Irfan Azad, Manzar Maya and Shair Nadir Shahi.
These eight have all had ludicrous ‘terrorism’ charges levelled against them for the ‘crime’ of standing up for the interests of working people in Gilgit-Baltistan, and frustrating the capitalists’ plans to strip the region of its rich resources.
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The bail application for AAC-GB chairman and leading members of the Inqalabi Communist Party, Ehsan Ali, was rejected on the absurd grounds that he has been “delivering hate speeches” and “trying to provoke innocent people… to rebellion”. The judge (at the behest of the generals) also cynically exploited the India-Pakistan war in March to justify his ruling, condemning Ali’s criticism of the Pakistani state at a time when “the armed forces of Pakistan were courageously fighting the enemies at the borders”.
Ali is suffering from severe health problems, and his condition is deteriorating. He is presently in hospital, where doctors are concerned about his heart and are requesting he be moved to a better facility for a more detailed medical examination, but the authorities have intentionally obstructed efforts to provide Ali with suitable care.
It is imperative that we step up our international solidarity campaign once more. We must apply as much pressure as possible on the Pakistani regime to drop the charges against Ali and the other AAC-GB leaders.
We remind our comrades that the AAC-GB political prisoners have endured all manner of torture and abuse. The authorities have even resorted to intimidating the prisoners’ families, particularly their female relatives, into convincing the prisoners to sign false confessions and incriminate one another on all manner of trumped up allegations.
And yet, despite all of this, the detainees have steadfastly refused to cooperate.
It is our duty, as communists and internationalists, to do everything in our power to secure their freedom. We call on all our members and supporters – as well as the organisations, activists and individuals who have endorsed our campaign – to join us a week from today on 30 July at Pakistani embassies, high commissions and consulates all over the world for an international day of action.
We will say with one voice: the generals in Islamabad and the capitalists they represent are the real terrorists!
We will not rest until all of the AAC-GB political prisoners are returned home!
An injury to one is an injury to all!
Hands off the Awami Action Committee Gilgit-Baltistan!
