PAKISTAN: Perpetrators of murder enjoy impunity

Dear friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a peasant was murdered, one was abducted and several more were injured in an attack by a powerful group. After the passing of almost three months no one has yet been arrested. A session court has rejected the application for anticipatory bail before the arrest of the accused persons but even then the police have not bothered to arrest anyone. The peasants have protested by blocking the roads and demanding that the police take action. However, the leader of the attackers is trying to turn the incident into a Muslim and Christian clash. Meanwhile, the victims and their families are suffering continuous harassment.

CASE DETAILS:

On April 10, 2008, some peasants of the Military farms at village 10/4-L, Okara, Punjab province, were discussing various issues in relation to the new contract system introduced by the former military government. At 11.30 pm more than 100 persons came in different vehicles including tractors, trolleys, cars and motor cycles and attacked the peasants with fire arms. The attackers tried to abduct one activist Mr. Irshad Nanna alias Kangan but the people were able to rescue him. Seeing that their attack was failing the attackers fired several shots both randomly and with intent. As a result Mr. Javed Masih was killed by gunshots to his head, eyes and chest. Mr. Irshad was also severely injured after being struck by seven bullets but was saved.

The attack was conducted by Mr. Abdul Sattar Mehar, former general secretary of Anjuman Muzzareen Punjab (AMP), who was dislodged from the office in 2005 for misusing his position and provoking the animosity between the Christians and Muslims. He then created his own group and took part in the elections of the Union Council in 2005, during which two persons were killed by the members of his group and Abdul, himself, was booked in the murder case of one Mr. Afzal. However, after winning the elections of Nazim (chairman) of the Union Council No. 10 Okara town, he manipulated the local police and administration in his favour and was not arrested. On the occasion of February 2008 Mr. Abdul contested elections for the provincial assembly as the independent candidate but lost the elections. He blamed his defeat on the Christians as they have not voted him and in his several speeches he openly stated he would take revenge for his defeat. He also accused Mr. Irshad Kangan of instigating the Christians not to vote for him.

The cantonment police station, Okara, recorded the First Information Report (FIR) on April 11, 2008, bearing number 70/2008 under sections; 302,324, 364, 452, 148, 149 of the Pakistan Penal Code but since then police have arrested anyone despite the fact that 19 persons were named in the FIR. Among the 19 persons named five were booked on the charge of murder and attempted murder while the remaining were booked on charges of abduction, attempted abduction, attack with fire arms, injuring several persons and breaking law and order. Some of the perpetrators including the first accused, Mr. Abdul received anticipatory bail and other persons are roaming freely and threatening the peasants not to become witnesses in the incident. On June 21, the Additional and Session Judge Okara, Mr. Malik Mubeen, rejected the bail before arrests but the police have still not made any effort to arrest them even when the accused persons were present outside the court. In the latest development, the provincial law minister of Punjab, Mr. Ashraf Khan Sona visited the military farms of Okara and tried to reach an agreement between the victims and accused persons but Abdul’s group refused to settle the dispute. The minister’s visit came after continuous demonstrations by the peasants of the farms who are blocking the roads in protest of the murder and the lack of action by the authorities.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

The Anjuman Muzareen Punjab (AMP) is a movement of 1 million landless tenants based in villages stretching over 10 districts of the Punjab (the districts of Okara, Khanewal, Multan, Lahore, Vihari, Sahiwal, Faisalabad, Sargodha, Pakpattan and Sheikhupura and so on). In these districts of Punjab landless tenants settled this uncultivated land with their hard labour and they have tilled the soil for over a century. The official documents state that the land belongs to the Government of Punjab. However, on these lands companies and military agencies such as the RVFC, Military Seed Corporation, Livestock Agricultural Department, and Dairy Farm, Seed Research Farm and so on are operating. These companies have been collecting revenue from the peasants both in kind and in money terms. According to the Board of Revenue, Government of Punjab the payments from the tenants to these Departments and companies are unlawful since these organizations have no legal claim over ownership or revenue generated from this land. In July 2000 a new piece-rate and a yearly lease agreement was introduced in these farms. This new system and agreement represented a severe loss in the social and economic position of tenant farmers. In fact, it was widely felt that this new system and agreement was deliberately harsh in order to impoverish the tenants thereby forcing them to abandon their lands. It is widely believed that this new system and agreement was designed to evict these tenants from their lands.

Given this situation the tenants of the area mobilized under the slogan “Maliki Ya Maut” (“Ownership or Death”) and rejected the new system of piece-rate and yearly agreements. The movement was organized under the leadership of the Anjuman Muzareen Punjab (AMP). The movement grew rapidly to encompass hundreds of thousands of tenants all over Punjab. During this period the movement attempted to negotiate with the district and provincial administrations, the farm management, the Revenue Board, and even the governor of Punjab. However, the authorities were unwilling to negotiate and began a campaign of intimidation, coercion and cruelty towards the movement. On several occasions unprovoked violence erupted when the authorities sent armed police and paramilitary Rangers forces to terrorize the tenant farmers. Consequently 11 tenants lost their lives, hundreds including women and children sustained terrible injuries and hardships. Hundreds were arrested and sent to jail. Until now, 4 tenants are still in Central Jail Sahiwal and behind prison but they stay defiant in the call for “Ownership or Death”. The government has also applied severe economic pressure by dismissing over 350 government employees because they were relatives of these tenants. Telephones, electricity and canal water were stopped by the Administration and Rangers for an eight month period. Relatives and children of the tenants were badly beaten by Rangers and Police. 45 tenants (men, women and children) died due to the lack of medical treatment during the siege of these villages by the Rangers and the Police.

SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please write a letter to the government and authorities about the latest situation in the Okara military farms where the innocent people are attacked, killed and abducted by powerful persons who want to divide the peaceful movement of peasants and create an atmosphere of religious intolerance. Please also demand that the persons involved in attack and killing should be arrested without fail and compensation should also be paid to the victims.

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