LAHORE: A group of Gilgit-Baltistan residents on Thursday staged a demonstration to demand the release of Baba Jan and 11 other activists sentenced for life imprisonment by the Anti-Terrorism Court in Gilgit on Sept 25 and withdrawal of cases against them.
The protest was organised by the Free Gilgit-Baltistan Twelve Committee outside the Lahore Press Club and attended by members of the Awami Workers Party, including veteran leftist Farooq Tariq.
Addressing the protesters, he said innocent people were sentenced and those involved in the killing of Afzal Baig and his father Sher Baig were set free.
He said: “Baba Jan is being held for his support to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). His struggle is legitimate for the people of the region.”
Another speaker Qalandar Bux Memon, a political science professor at the Forman Christian College, said they were not represented in the National Assembly and could not file appeal with the Supreme Court.
“The decision reflects the control of all state apparatus by the military and the bureaucracy.”
He said the people of the region were living under colonial set-up. He said a new social contract needed to be devised for the region that gave economic, political and social sovereignty to the people.
Qasim Muhammad, one of the organisers, said they would protest at home and abroad until all political prisoners were released.http://www.dawn.com/news/1135901/protest-for-release-of-g-b-inmates
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