LAHORE, 14 April 2004 — The Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) will protest for 10 days at the 23-year prison sentence given to acting party president Javed Hashmi on charges of sedition, defaming the army and government, inciting mutiny and forging documents.
The decision to protest was taken at an emergency meeting chaired by PML-N Punjab Secretary General Khawaja Saad Rafique. The party will also appeal in the High Court the trial court verdict.
The party decided to hold a series of demonstrations and sit-ins in all major cities. It started with one at 32 Nicholson Road at 4 p.m. under the supervision of PML-N Punjab President Sardar Zulfiqar Ali Khan Khosa.
The schedule for the protests will be announced after discussions with the other parties in the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy.
Rafique said his party’s central and provincial chapters, and youth and student wings would take part in the demonstrations.
ARD leaders said the sentence was a setback for the fight for democracy. ARD Deputy Information Secretary Munir Ahmed Khan said the verdict proved that the judiciary was under the government’s command.
He said ARD parliamentary parties would call a meeting to devise a strategy to tackle the issue. Munir said parties in the alliance would support the PML-N protests.
PML-N’s Khosa said the verdict was an outcome of government pressure and had harmed the judiciary’s image. He said the party would defend its leader in the high court and that the trial in jail was unfair.
Rafique said the verdict was unjust and a murder of Hashmi’s constitutional right to freedom of expression.
PML-N leaders Tehmina Daultana, Pir Binyamin Rizvi, Nasir Khan, Rana Tanveer Hussain, Zaeem Qadri and Noshad Hameed also condemned the court decision.
Jamaat-e-Islami’s acting ameer, Chaudhry Rehmat Elahi, and Deputy Secretary General Fareed Ahmad Paracha said Hashmi was a political victim. They said the court damaged the credibility of Parliament and the judiciary.
They said every Pakistani had the right to raise his voice for democracy, the constitution and for the supremacy of Parliament.
