Dear friends,
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding military intervention in academic discourse on the subject of Balochistan. A talk scheduled at the Lahore University of Management Science on Balochistan has been cancelled on the written orders of Lieutenant-General Rizwan Akhter, Director General of Pakistan’s notorious intelligence agency, the ISI. Two prominent human rights defenders, Mama Qadeer, President of the Voice of Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP), and Ms. Farzana Majeed, General Secretary of the same organization, were scheduled to speak on missing persons in the Balochistan Province.
University authorities have also disclosed that the Chief Minister of Punjab Province, who is also the younger brother of the current Prime minster, has made repeated contact with them pressuring them not to hold any such talk, arguing that this would lead students to have an alternate view on Balochistan, one that would harm the security establishment.
That the military has intervened in routine academic discourse has been widely condemned by the students of the University and by civil rights activists. The military seems to be bent on muzzling and silencing any and all voices that seek to share the realities about Balochistan and its missing persons.
CASE NARRATIVE:
On April 09, 2015, a talk was scheduled on ‘Un-silencing Balochistan: Reshaping Justice and Human Rights in Pakistan’ at Lahore University of Management Science (LUMS). Two prominent human rights defenders, Mr. Abdul Qadeer alias Mama Qadeer, the vice chairperson of Voice of Baloch Missing Person (VBMP) and its Secretary General Ms. Farzana Majeed were the guest speakers. The others who were invited to deliver talk on the human rights issues in Balochistan province were well known human rights activists and professors including Mr. I. A Rehman, director Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, Mohammed Ali Talpur, human rights activist, Professor Aasim Sajjad Akhtar of Quaid-e-Azam University and rights activist Sajjad Changezi. The talk was to be moderated by Mr. Rashid Rahman, the editor of Daily Times.
The talk was cancelled at the last minute purportedly due to the directives from Director General of ISI (DG ISI) and the Chief Minister of Punjab province, Mr. Shahbaz Sharif, the younger brother of Prime Minister, Mr. Nawaz Sarif. The Chief Minister warned the Vice Chancellor of LUMS of dire consequences if the talk is not cancelled. The university authorities have kept with them the letter from ISI and not showing it to the staff but have confirmed that the letter was from Director General of ISI. According to the media reports quoting the senior faculty members of the university, two men entered the Vice Chancellor’s office and delivered a letter from Director General of intelligence agency of armed forces, the ISI, demanding that the talk be cancelled immediately or the university should prepare to face dire consequences. They warned the university administration that Baluchistan is a sensitive issue and that the moot could be used to malign Pakistan.
The university authorities immediately cancelled the talk and informed the students and organizers that talk was cancelled.
The university released the following statement on 10 April 2015 “…Under the re-mapping justice series, an event scheduled at LUMS for the 9 April 2015 had to be cancelled on orders from the government, which was most unfortunate indeed. We are proud that all such discussions have taken place in an academic environment that is collegial and respectful of all citizens, as well as diverging points of view.”
According to Dawn newspaper a student of the university said that students received an email from Associate Professor and Department Chair, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at LUMS Ali Khan announcing the cancellation of the talk.
The email said that the scheduled talk on Baluchistan was “cancelled on the orders of the government”. The email further said: “LUMS is committed to working with the government to find a way to allow the university to hold conversations on topics that are sensitive but that need to be debated in an objective and unbiased manner”.
The students and members of the civil society took to social media to vent their anger over the military intervention many terming it as a direct intervention in the matters of the varsity. The civil society terms it as an attack on academic freedom that gives rise to more extremism and fundamentalism. The academic censorship initiated by the agency can snowball into a permanent clamp down on freedom of expression and speech. Universities are bedrock of knowledge and truth that nurture free thinker, philosophers and academics who help to counter the extremist factions Silencing free speech will defeat the cause of moderates who are fighting extremism and fundamentalism so entrenched in the society.
As if the DG ISI and Chief Minister have nothing better to do they have now decided to interfere in matters completely academic in nature. The criminal state that Pakistan is fast becoming has no qualms about quashing the citizen’s right to freedom of speech and expression, due process and rule of law. Lawlessness and state sponsored terrorism can continue unabated yet free speech is not allowed. Hate mongers can preach hate and murder from mosques yet a debate on the Baluchistan issue is muzzled forcefully. Except for the civil society and student no other institutions have raised their voice against the atrocity. The judiciary has maintained a silent compliance; it appears to the masses that all institutions including the judiciary and state have lost their mantel to stand up against the army and intelligence agency.
It is no secret that Pakistan military has the influence on the democratic set up and it has ever allowed the institutions to follow the law and the constitution of the country. In the recent months it has forced the government and the parliament to make draconian laws such as Pakistan Protection Ordinance which gives unlimited powers to law enforcement agencies including shooting at sight and keeping a suspect for ninety days in the custody. The security establishment also forced the parliament for the establishment of military courts. These military courts have started awarding the death sentences to the suspect through summery trials. Even the media is also not informed about the details of sentenced persons. Please see this link.
A university is a nurturing ground for analytical and critical thinking that encourages free thought and freedom of speech the military intervention in matters pertaining to the university is condemnable and atrocious. a security state such as Pakistan suppress open discussion and freedom of speech as they know that they can’t rule over and perpetuate their atrocities over free thinking masses.
The irony is that the governments of Mr. Nawaz Sharif and his brother, Shahbaz Sharif, at federal and Punjab province were forcing the authorities of LUMS to follow the instructions of an intelligence agency. It is very sad the chief minister of Punjab was time to time contacting the vice chancellors and his favourite staff to know that whether talk on Balochistan was started or Baloch activists have arrived inside the university. He was following the instruction ISI director general as if he is the boss of chief minister and he behaved in such a manner that the so called “democratically elected governments” are run by the non-elected and supra constitutional forces.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Mama Qadeer is known for highlighting cases of enforced disappearance, kidnapping and murder of Baloch activists by the military and state intelligence from the platform of his NGO Voice of Missing Baloch (VOBM). Earlier on March 6th Mama along with General Secretary VBMP Farzana Majeed and other female activist were stopped from attending a conference held in USA on the issue of enforced disappearances. Both Mama Qadeer and Farzana Majeed have suffered the loss of their loved ones at the hands of the agencies. Mama Qadeer’s son Jalil Reky was arrested by state’s intelligence agency, the ISI, on February 13, 2009. The then chief minister of Baluchistan province told a delegation of the Baloch political party that he was in ISI custody and will be released in some days. But in November 2011 Reky’s bullet riddled and severely tortured body was found dumped on the road side. Ms. Farzana Majeed’s brother Zakir Majeed has been arrested by the agents of ISI on January 2009, the National Crisis Management claimed that he was released along with other detainees on the orders of the Supreme Court, on 22 January 2010. Yet Majeed never made it home his to date whereabouts are unknown. The state and the military are trying their utmost to silence the voice of the Baloch who are demanding their right to seek justice. Decades of military intervention and discrimination on the basis of ethnicity has resulted in unrest and agitation amongst the masses, many Baloch activists and separatist have been abducted, tortured and killed to strangle the demand for justice.
SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please write the letters to the following authorities calling them to prosecute the director general of Pakistani notorious intelligence agency, the ISI, under the civilian laws for meddling with the academic activities. Please also urge them to initiate an enquiry in the matter that how and whose instructions the DG ISI sent a letter to an independent university and dictating them that which activities are allowed and which are not. The inquiry against the chief minister must also be conducted who was crossing his constitutional responsibilities and following the orders from supra constitutional spy agency who has nothing to do with the activities of the Universities.
The AHRC will write a separate letter to the UN Special Rapporteurs on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression and on the right to education, calling for their intervention into this matter.
To support this case, please click here: SEND APPEAL LETTER
SAMPLE LETTER
Dear ………………..,
PAKISTAN: Director General of ISI must be prosecuted for disrupting academic discourse
Name of victim: Mr. Abdul Qadeer alias Mama Qadeer, and Ms. Farzana Baloch,
Names of alleged perpetrators:
1. DG ISI Lieutenant-GeneralRizwan Akhter
2. Mr Mian Mohammad Shabaz Sharif, the Chief Minister Punjab.
Date of incident: 9 April 2015
Place of incident: Lahore University of Management Science (LUMS) Lahore Pakistan
I am writing to voice my deep concern regarding the direct military’s intervention in the universities’ affairs and pressuring the authorities Lahore university of Management Science (LUMS) to cancel the talk ‘Un-silencing Balochistan: Reshaping Justice And Human Rights In Pakistan’.
It is shocking for me that the chief minister of Punjab, Mr. Shahbaz Sharif, the younger brother of Prime Minister, Mr. Nawaz Sharif, was also time to time forcing the vice chancellor of the LUMS to cancel the Talk and also threatened the authorities that if they do not cancel talk the military will take strong action against the University.
On April 09, 2015, a talk was scheduled on ‘Un-silencing Balochistan: Reshaping Justice and Human Rights in Pakistan’ at Lahore University of Management Science (LUMS). Two prominent human rights defenders, Mr. Abdul Qadeer alias Mama Qadeer, the vice chairperson of Voice of Baloch Missing Person (VBMP) and its Secretary General Ms. Farzana Majeed were the guest speakers. The others who were invited to deliver talk on the human rights issues in Balochistan province were well known human rights activists and professors including Mr. I. A Rehman, director Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, Mohammed Ali Talpur, human rights activist, Professor Aasim Sajjad Akhtar of Quaid-e-Azam University and rights activist Sajjad Changezi. The talk was to be moderated by Mr. Rashid Rahman, the editor of Daily Times.
The talk was cancelled at the last minute purportedly due to the directives from Director General of ISI (DG ISI) and the Chief Minister of Punjab province, Mr. Shahbaz Sharif, the younger brother of Prime Minister, Mr. Nawaz Sarif. The Chief Minister warned the Vice Chancellor of LUMS of dire consequences if the talk is not cancelled. The university authorities have kept with them the letter from ISI and not showing it to the staff but have confirmed that the letter was from Director General of ISI. According to the media reports quoting the senior faculty members of the university, two men entered the Vice Chancellor’s office and delivered a letter from Director General of intelligence agency of armed forces, the ISI, demanding that the talk be cancelled immediately or the university should prepare to face dire consequences. They warned the university administration that Baluchistan is a sensitive issue and that the moot could be used to malign Pakistan.
The university authorities immediately cancelled the talk and informed the students and organizers that talk was cancelled.
The university released the following statement on 10 April 2015:
“…Under the re-mapping justice series, an event scheduled at LUMS for the 9th of April 2015 had to be cancelled on orders from the government, which was most unfortunate indeed. We are proud that all such discussions have taken place in an academic environment that is collegial and respectful of all citizens, as well as diverging points of view.”
According to Dawn newspaper a student of the university said that students received an email from Associate Professor and Department Chair, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at LUMS Ali Khan announcing the cancellation of the talk.
The email said that the scheduled talk on Baluchistan was “cancelled on the orders of the government”.
The email further says: “LUMS is committed to working with the government to find a way to allow the university to hold conversations on topics that are sensitive but that need to be debated in an objective and unbiased manner”.
The students and members of the civil society took to social media to vent their anger over the military intervention many terming it as a direct intervention in the matters of the varsity. Many term it as an attack on academic freedom that will give rise to more extremism and fundamentalism. The academic censorship initiated by the agency can snowball into a permanent clamp down on freedom of expression and speech. Universities are bedrock of knowledge and truth that nurture free thinker, philosophers and academics who help to counter the extremist factions. Silencing free speech will defeat the cause of moderates who are fighting extremism and fundamentalism so entrenched in the society.
As if the DG ISI and Chief Minister have nothing better to do they have now decided to interfere in matters completely academic in nature. The criminal state that Pakistan is fast becoming has no qualms about quashing the citizen’s right to freedom of speech and expression, due process and rule of law. Lawlessness and state sponsored terrorism can continue unabated yet free speech is not allowed. Hate mongers can preach hate and murder from mosques yet a debate on the Baluchistan issue is muzzled forcefully. Except for the civil society and student no other institutions have raised their voice against the atrocity. The judiciary has maintained a silent compliance; it appears to the masses that all institutions including the judiciary and state have lost their mantel to stand up against the army and intelligence agency.
It is no secret that Pakistan military has the influence on the democratic set up and it has ever allowed the institutions to follow the law and the constitution of the country. In the recent months it has forced the government and the parliament to make draconian laws such as Pakistan Protection Ordinance which gives unlimited powers to law enforcement agencies including shooting at sight and keeping a suspect for ninety days in the custody. The security establishment also forced the parliament for the establishment of military courts. These military courts have started awarding the death sentences to the suspect through summery trials. Even the media is also not informed about the details of sentenced persons. Please see this link.
A university is a nurturing ground for analytical and critical thinking that encourages free thought and freedom of speech the military intervention in matters pertaining to the university is condemnable and atrocious. a security state such as Pakistan suppress open discussion and freedom of speech as they know that they can’t rule over and perpetuate their atrocities over free thinking masses.
The irony is that the governments of Mr. Nawaz Sharif and his brother, Shahbaz Sharif, at federal and Punjab province were forcing the authorities of LUMS to follow the instructions of an intelligence agency. It is very sad that the Chief Minister of Punjab was time to time contacting the Vice Chancellors and his favored staff to know whether talk on Balochistan has started or Baloch activists have arrived inside the university. He was following the instruction of ISI Director General as if he is the boss of Chief Minister his demeanor belied that of a democratically elected leader as if the so called “democratically elected government” is run by the non-elected and supra constitutional forces.
It is worrisome that the military believes that silencing and muzzling the Baloch voice will cause the movement to shrivel and die. Despite their best effort I find that the resilience and persistence of people of Baluchistan has refused to be silenced. Despite having important geo-political location the province is blessed with nature’s bounties and is a supplier of natural gas to the whole country. However the people of the land are kept deprived of their own resources and are forced to live in abject poverty. Decades of military intervention and discrimination on the basis of ethnicity has resulted in unrest and agitation amongst the masses, many Baloch activists and separatist have been abducted, tortured and killed to strangle the demand for justice.
As if military’s intervention in matters of the state was not enough the military is now bend on muzzling academic discourse into the issue of Baluchistan and its missing persons, and is a direct violation of freedom of speech. An intellectual debate cannot be silenced forcefully the society and its people have a right to have free thoughts and access to information as enshrined in the constitution of Pakistan. The military intervention to silence the freedom of expression is a direct violation of Article 19 of ICCPR which states.
Article 19 of the ICCPR
- Everyone shall have the right to hold opinions without interference.
- Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of his choice.
Similarly Article 19 of the Constitution of Pakistan states
Every citizen shall have the right to freedom of speech and expression, and there shall be freedom of the press, subject to any reasonable restrictions imposed by law in the interest of the glory of Islam or the integrity, security or defence of Pakistan or any part thereof friendly relations with foreign States, public order, decency or morality, or in relation to contempt of court, [commission of] or incitement to an offence.
Thus I strongly condemn the military intervention in the academic debate on the issue of Baluchistan and urge the state to conduct an enquiry into the matter and prosecute those responsible for the intervention and barring a peaceful assembly and stopping Mama Qadeer and other speakers from speaking at the moot.
I, therefore, call upon you to prosecute the Director General of Pakistani notorious intelligence agency, the ISI, under the civilian laws for meddling with the academic activities. Further I also urge you to initiate an enquiry in the matter that how and on whose instructions the DG ISI sent a letter to an independent university and dictating to them that which activities are allowed and which are not. The inquiry against the Chief Minister must also be conducted who was transcending his constitutional authority and taking orders from supra constitutional spy agency who had nothing to do with the activities of the Universities.
Yours sincerely,
…………………………………………………….
PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS TO:
1. Mr. Mamnoon Hussain
President of Pakistan
President’s Secretariat
Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 51 9207458
Email: publicmail@president.gov.pk
2. Mr. Mian Mohammad Nawaz Sharif
Prime Minister
Prime Minister House
Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 51 922 1596
E-mail: secretary@cabinet.gov.pk or pspm@pmsectt.gov.pk
3. Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan
Federal Minister for Interior
R Block, Pak Secretariat
Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 51 9202624
Email: interior.complaintcell@gmail.com or ministry.interior@gmail.com
4. Mr. Mian Mohammad Shahbaz Sharif
Chief Minister
Government of Punjab Province
Chief Minister’s Secretariat
5-Club Road, GOR-I, Lahore, Punjab
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 42 99205065
Email: cmcomplaintcell@cmpunjab.gov.pk
5. Mr. Pervez Rashid
Federal Minister
Ministry of Law, Justice and Human Rights
4th Floor, Cabinet Block
Pak. Secretariat
Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax:+ 92 51 9206399
Email: webmaster@infopak.gov.pk, contact@molaw.gov.pk
6. Mr. Justice Tahir Shahbaz
Registrar of the Supreme Court of Pakistan
Constitution Avenue, Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 51 9213452
Email: mail@supremecourt.gov.pk
Thank you.
Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission (ua@ahrc.asia)
