Dear friends,
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that the son of the provincial speaker of the Punjab assembly and his henchmen attacked a village and fired upon the women peasants who were resisting illegal occupation of their agricultural land. Eight women and a ten-year-old child received bullet shots. The speaker of the assembly used his position and pressured the hospital authorities to kick out the injured persons without providing first aid. Upon his instruction, the local police cordoned off the whole village and did not allow the villagers to take the wounded women out for medical treatment.
A quick intervention is sought for the medical treatment of the child and other women who have bullets in their bodies and head injuries. Three of the women still have bullets in their bodies.
CASE NARRATIVE:
On May 3, at 4pm Rana Mujib, son of Rana Mohammed Iqbal, the speaker of Punjab Assembly, attacked a village Chah Dhaban Wala near Bhai Phero in Tehsil Patoki, Punjab province, along with his two dozen henchmen to occupy 12 acres of cultivated land. The women of the village, who were harvesting crop at that time on the same land resisted to prevent them from grabbing their land. The attackers, including the son of the speaker, used firearms and shot at them to disperse the women. During the shooting, eight women and one young boy of 10 year were injured. The 12 acres piece of land belonged to the department of Auqaf, government of Punjab province, and peasants are the tenants of the Department who were working on this land since 1920.
The injured women and a child were rushed to the Jinnah hospital, Lahore , capital of the province for treatment. They were admitted there but soon after they reached there, the speaker, Rana Mohammad Iqbal, used his position to the authorities at the hospital by asking them to kick all of the patients out without providing them first aid. He also sent a message to the peasants to allow his occupation of the land then they would be provided with all facilities.
In the meanwhile the villagers made a sit-in protest at the highway, the G.T. Road, to protest against the brutal action by the son of the speaker Punjab Assembly. Police came to negotiate and promised to register a case against the gangsters and pleaded the tenants to vacate the roads. When the roads were cleared in the night of the same day, police asked the tenants to remove the name of Rana Mujib Iqbal, the son of the speaker, from the list of attackers but the tenants refused. The police registered a case against the tenants for blockading the road and another First Information Report (FIR) against the tenants allegedly for attacking the son of the Speaker was also filed by the police.
Since then the village has been cordoned by the policemen and preventing injured persons and others from coming out. The police then went to the village to arrest the persons whose names are mentioned in the FIR. Till writing this report, it is believed that over 20 villagers have been arrested.
The conditions of the injured persons are deteriorating as they cannot receive medical aid except local way of treatment. The names of the injured women are Majeedan Bibi, balqees Bibi, Saba Bibi, Shafiqan Bibi, Naseeb Bibi and the young boy, Mohammed Shoaib.
Some six months ago, Iqbal, the speaker of the assembly, tried to occupy another piece of land with the help of the henchmen but the peasants resisted. He has to leave the place and asked through the police to pay Rupees 1.2 millions as he spent those expenses for grabbing the land, paid amount to police and cultivated the land. This time he and his son came to take revenge of the previous incident also.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
In 1920, the land in Chah Dhaban Wala belonged to a Gordawara, the property of Sikh religious people. It was not a fertile land. The tenants worked very hard to make this land cultivatable. In 1960, the Department of Auqaf took over the land and the tenants were asked to pay a very small amount of 20 Rupees per acre to the department. The total land was around 1400 acres. Out of this around 800 acres is now left with the tenants and other land is being taken over by the speaker and his family members who are called as Ranas and other feudals of the area on one and another pretext. In 2007 and 2008, the Department of Auqaf increased the lease amount to 25000 Rupees and the tenants went to Lahore High Court against this increase.
SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please write the letters to the authorities for their intervention in the matter and providing relieve to the peasants who are the legal tenants of the village. Also urge them to arrest the perpetrators and provide medical treatment to the victims. Please also demand for the arrest of the perpetrators.
The AHRC writes a separate letter to the UN Special Rapporteur Working Group on the issue of discrimination against women in law and in practice and Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences; and the Committee on the Rights of Child.
To support this case, please click here: SEND APPEAL LETTER
SAMPLE LETTER
Dear ___________,
PAKISTAN: The peasant women were shot and injured by the gangsters of speaker of a provincial assembly; police file the cases against the villagers
Name of victim:
1.Ms. Majeedan Bibi,
2. Ms. Balqees Bibi,
3. Ms. Saba Bibi,
4. Ms. Shafiqan Bibi,
5. MS. Naseeb Bibi
6. Master Mohammed Shoaib, 10 years.
All are the residents of village Chah Dhaban Wala near Bhai Phero in Tehsil Patoki, Punjab province
Names of alleged perpetrators:
1.Mr. Rana Iqbal,
Speaker of Punjab Assembly, Lahore, Punjab province
Mr. Rana Mujib Iqbal,
Resident of Lambay Jageer, tehsil Patoki, Punjab province
2. Mohammad Arif Chamcha,
Resident of Lambay Jageer, tehsil Patoki, Punjab province
3. Murtaza Dogar,
Resident of Lambay Jageer, tehsil Patoki, Punjab province
4. Shoukat Dogar,
Resident of Lambay Jageer, tehsil Patoki, Punjab province
5. Sardar Munshi,
Resident of Lambay Jageer, tehsil Patoki, Punjab province
Date of incident: May 3, 2011
Place of incident: village Chah Dhaban Wala near Bhai Phero in Tehsil Patoki, Punjab province
I am writing to voice my deep concern on the attempt of land grabbing of the land of department of Auqaf, government of Punjab, by the speaker of the Punjab Assembly, his son and his henchmen and attack on the peasant women. The attackers including Mr. Rana Mujib Iqbal son of the speaker used firearms and shot eight women and one child of 10 years.
I am shocked that the speaker of the Punjab assembly and son are occupying the land of the government by force using the police for their assistance and using arms openly but the law does not move to stop such crimes by the public elected person who misuses his position.
I am distressed to learn that the Rule of Law has no sanctity before the public office holder and they behave like the gangsters.
The details of the case are here:
On May 3, at 4pm Rana Mujib, son of Rana Mohammed Iqbal, the speaker of Punjab Assembly, attacked a village Chah Dhaban Wala near Bhai Phero in Tehsil Patoki, Punjab province, along with his two dozen henchmen to occupy 12 acres of cultivated land. The women of the village, who were harvesting crop at that time on the same land resisted to prevent them from grabbing their land. The attackers, including the son of the speaker, used firearms and shot at them to disperse the women. During the shooting, eight women and one young boy of 10 year were injured. The 12 acres piece of land belonged to the department of Auqaf, government of Punjab province, and peasants are the tenants of the Department who were working on this land since 1920.
The injured women and a child were rushed to the Jinnah hospital, Lahore , capital of the province for treatment. They were admitted there but soon after they reached there, the speaker, Rana Mohammad Iqbal, used his position to the authorities at the hospital by asking them to kick all of the patients out without providing them first aid. He also sent a message to the peasants to allow his occupation of the land then they would be provided with all facilities.
In the meanwhile the villagers made a sit-in protest at the highway, the G.T. Road, to protest against the brutal action by the son of the speaker Punjab Assembly. Police came to negotiate and promised to register a case against the gangsters and pleaded the tenants to vacate the roads. When the roads were cleared in the night of the same day, police asked the tenants to remove the name of Rana Mujib Iqbal, the son of the speaker, from the list of attackers but the tenants refused. The police registered a case against the tenants for blockading the road and another First Information Report (FIR) against the tenants allegedly for attacking the son of the Speaker was also filed by the police.
Since then the village has been cordoned by the policemen and preventing injured persons and others from coming out. The police then went to the village to arrest the persons whose names are mentioned in the FIR. Till writing this report, it is believed that over 20 villagers have been arrested.
The conditions of the injured persons are deteriorating as they cannot receive medical aid except local way of treatment. The names of the injured women are Majeedan Bibi, balqees Bibi, Saba Bibi, Shafiqan Bibi, Naseeb Bibi and the young boy, Mohammed Shoaib.
Some six months ago, Iqbal, the speaker of the assembly, tried to occupy another piece of land with the help of the henchmen but the peasants resisted. He has to leave the place and asked through the police to pay Rupees 1.2 millions as he spent those expenses for grabbing the land, paid amount to police and cultivated the land. This time he and his son came to take revenge of the previous incident also.
I am appalled that there is no Rule of Law in the province where the speaker who won the elections of the votes of the poor peasants are using force to grab the land to displace them. This shows the level of disrespect by the public office holders on women, particularly about the working women.
I urge you to take stern action against Mr. Rana Mohammad Iqbal, the speaker of the Punjab assembly, his son and other henchmen for using the firearms against the women and children and for illegally occupying the land of the government. I also urge you to prosecute the perpetrators.
Please also instruct the local police to allow the villagers to move freely as citizens of Pakistan and to provide them full medical treatment.
Yours sincerely,
—————-
PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS TO:
1. Mr. Asif Ali Zardari
President of Pakistan
President’s Secretariat
Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Tel: 92-51-9204801-9214171
Fax 92-51-9207458
Email: publicmail@president.gov.pk
2. Mr. Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani
Prime Minister
Prime Minister House
Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 51 922 1596
Tel: +92 51 920 6111
E-mail: secretary@cabinet.gov.pk
3. Mr. Raza Rabbani
Federal Minister for Human Rights
Ministry of Human Rights
Old US Aid building
Ata Turk Avenue
G-5, Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 51 9204108
Email: sarfraz_yousuf@yahoo.com
4. Mr. Lateef Khosa
Governor of Punjab
Governor House
Mall Road
Lahore
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 42 99203044
Email: governor.sectt@punjab.gov.pk
5. Mr Nasir Mehmood Khosa,
Chief Secretary of Government of Punjab
Punjab Secretariat
Lahore
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 42 7324489
E-mail: chiefsecy@punjab.gov.pk
6. Mr. Rana Sana Ullah
Minister of Law
Government of Punjab
Punjab Secretariat
Ravi Road
Lahore
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 42 99212004
E-mail: law@punjab.gov.pk
7. Dr. Faqir Hussain
Registrar
Supreme Court of Pakistan
Constitution Avenue, Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: + 92 51 9213452
E-mail: mail@supremecourt.gov.pk
8. Mr. Tariq Saleem
Inspector-General of Police, Punjab
Police Head Office, Lahore, Punjab province
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 42 9921006
Thank you.
Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission (ua@ahrc.asia)
