Pakistan dictator not welcome

The former dictator of Pakistan, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, encountered more than 50 demonstrators outside the Franklin Institute here on Jan. 26, where he was the guest of the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia. The activists braved frigid temperatures to protest his invitation to speak on “freedom and democracy.”

The protest was organized by the Pakistan Justice Coalition/National Lawyers Guild Rule of Law Project and the Pakistan-USA Freedom Forum. It received support from local activists, including the Philadelphia International Action Center and the Philly Independent Media Center.

Musharraf came to power in Pakistan through a military coup in 1999. He received more than $11 billion in direct U.S. aid after Sept. 11. The general used the funds to retain his support within the military and upgrade its weapons.

Shahid Comrade, general secretary of the Pakistan-USA Freedom Forum, told the press, “He is a violator of human rights in Pakistan.” Under Musharraf’s reign, Pakistan’s intelligence agencies detained hundreds of people without providing them any due process. More than 600 are still missing. Journalists and press outlets faced state censorship, repressive policies and threats.

In November 2007 thousands of lawyers and opposition activists were detained across the country in a crackdown on protesters after Musharraf suspended the constitution and imposed a state of emergency. Police violently suppressed peaceful protest by lawyers and held many on terrorism and treason charges. Almost two-thirds of Pakistan’s senior judges were placed under house arrest.

Ryan Hancock, a member of the National Lawyers Guild and the Pakistan Justice Coalition, was very critical of the World Affairs Council’s invitation. “Musharraf was anything but a person who respected the rule of law and democracy,” Hancock noted. “As lawyers we have an ethical and professional responsibility to confront violations of law no matter where they occur.”

At the meeting Musharraf was allowed to dodge questions about why he suspended his country’s constitution, saying he would “rather skip this.” All questions had to be submitted in writing, allowing him to chose which he would respond to.

Meanwhile, the protesters outside showed their disdain for this former dictator by throwing shoes at two cutouts of his image.