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Gilgit (Pakistan) and the Hunza Five campaign: bail granted to Baba Jan. Solidarity campaign to continue

Wednesday 27 June 2012, by Farooq Tariq

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We just learnt that Baba Jan was granted bail and that his four comrades will also be bailed soon. Few days before, the Pakistan Ministry of Human Rights moved on the Hunza Five case (see below). This is a very important encouragement for the ongoing international solidarity campaign to maintain pressure until the cases against them and Faisalabad or Karachi looms workers are withdrawn.

Dear all,

This is give you a good news that Baba Jan, the imprisoned Labour Party youth leader, bail was accepted today by the Chief Court Gilgit. Advocate Ihsan Ali, president Gilgit High Court Bar Association told me on telephone that the acceptance of this bail mean that the other four will also be bailed out this week. He represented Baba Jan case in Gilgit courts.

This is to thank you all that made it possible that Baba Jan is bailed out. The demonstration abroad, the petition signed by hundreds, the letters sent to Pakistan Embassies, the demonstrations and hunger strike camps, the alternative media campaign and above all the friends and family of Baba Jan struggle for his release, all helped to get him released.

Still, the struggle had to continue for the withdrawal of the cases against the Hunza Five and all others framed in this case.

Also the struggle to get released the Faisalabad 6 and withdrawn of cases against the power looms workers in Karachi will continue.

Farooq Tariq
Member federal committee Labour Party Pakistan

June 26, 2012


Hunza Five’s bail petitions: half the battle won!

According to information received from Comrade Ehsan Ali, counsel representing the Hunza Five, the bail petitions relating to charges brought against the five comrades under the Anti-Terrorism Act for protesting the killings of Sher Afzal Baig and Sherullah Baig on August 11, 2011, have been accepted.

Comrade Ehsan Ali, himself a member of the International Socialists and the president of the Gilgit Bar Association, expects the same positive result from the bail hearing scheduled for tomorrow (June 27, 2012), with respect to the charges of rioting in Gilgit jail on April 26, 2012.

We are all overjoyed that our efforts have started paying off and the rigid hold of the Gilgit-Baltistan colonial regime is weakening.

We resolve to continue the campaign with renewed vigour, leading up to the mass protest in Islamabad on July 6, 2012.

This is the time to press home the advantage and to demand, not just that these fabricated charges be dropped but that the suppressed recommendations of the GB regime’s own judicial inquiry into the Aliabad killings be presented before the people for debate and validation. This is the time to demand that the entire chain of command involved in the killing of two innocent citizens be dismissed from service and charged with murder.

From Free Baba Jan website


Pakistan Ministry of Human Rights demands that the GB administration justify the imprisonment of the Hunza Five

June 22, 2012

The Ministry of Human Rights of Pakistan took notice of the illegal detention of the Hunza five. Their representative, Dr Yahya informed us that they wrote official letters to the following:

 Chief Secretary GB,

 Inspector General of police GB

 Head of GB prison police

They demanded to be provided with a justification for the detention of Baba Jan, Iftikhar Hussain, Amir Ali, Ameer Khan and Rashid Minhas.

This proves that our campaign is working and also that this is a key moment when we could see the liberation of our comrades. More than ever, we need to mobilize all our efforts and pressurize the administration of GB.

From Free Baba Jan website.