<p class="MsoNormal">FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">November 8, 2007 <span style=""> <br /> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="ldacoc"> </span>CONTACT:</p> <p style="margin-left: 4in;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="IT" style="">Khurram Mahmood (408) 230-6784<br /> khurram.mahmoodPTI@gmail.com<span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><u>MEDIA ADVISORY <o:p></o:p></u></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><strong style=""><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></strong></p> <p align="center" style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><strong style=""><span style="font-size: 13pt;">US GOVERNMENT URGED TO STOP SUPPORTING MILITARY DICTATORSHIP IN PAKISTAN<o:p></o:p></span></strong></p> <p align="center" style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><strong style=""><span style="font-size: 11pt;">San Francisco Bay area community groups protest Martial Law and US government’s support for military dictatorship in Pakistan with a peaceful rally<o:p></o:p></span></strong></p> <p align="center" style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><strong style=""><span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></strong></p> <p style="" class="MsoNormal"><strong style=""><span style="font-size: 11pt;">WHEN:</span></strong><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style=""> </span>Saturday, November 10<sup>th</sup>, 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="" class="MsoNormal"><strong style=""><span style="font-size: 11pt;">WHERE:</span></strong><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style=""> </span>City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, San Francisco, CA<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><strong style=""><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><strong style=""><span style="font-size: 11pt;">WHAT: </span></strong><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI, www.moveforjustice.org), Friends of South Asia (FOSA, <a href="http://www.friendsofsouthasia.org/">www.friendsofsouthasia.org</a>), Act Now to Stop War and End Racism (ANSWER, <a href="http://www.actionsf.org/">www.actionsf.org</a>) and a number of concerned citizens from all walks of life will rally in front of the City Hall to protest the imposition of Martial Law in Pakistan and US Government’s support for military dictatorship there and also to show solidarity and support for pro-democracy movement in Pakistan.<span style=""> </span>The day of action will begin at 2pm with speeches from community leaders which will be followed by a rally.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">“General Musharraf’s actions in Pakistan are a gross violation of human rights.<span style=""> </span>This is not just a promulgation of emergency, it is in fact the biggest and longest hostage crisis the world has ever seen where one military general with full support of the US has held 160 million people hostage for more than 8 years,” said Khurram Mahmood, coordinator for PTI.<span style=""> </span>General Pervaiz Musharraf came into power in Pakistan through a military coup in 1999.<span style=""> </span>In the past 8 years, he has ruled through fiat and has not allowed democracy to flourish in the country.<span style=""> </span>On November 2<sup>nd</sup> 2007, General Musharraf promulgated emergency in the whole country whereby fundamental human rights have been suspended, constitution has been held in abeyance, senior Supreme Court justices have been unconstitutionally removed from office and replaced by the general’s cronies, prominent opposition political party leaders such as Imran Khan and Javed Hashmi and senior lawyers such as Aitezaz Ahsan and Ali Kurd have been illegally detained and all independent local and international media outlets have been shut down.<span style=""> </span>Internationally respected human rights activists such as Asma Jahangir have either been imprisoned or put under house arrest. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">“Bush administrations blatant disregard for the independence of the Pakistani people is proof of the hypocrisy of its claims of spreading democracy,” said Mazda Majidi of the ANSWER Coalition.<span style=""> </span>General Musharraf has been a key ally to the US in the so-called ‘war on terror’.<span style=""> </span>In the past 8 years since he assumed power, US has provided his regime full financial, military and diplomatic support.<span style=""> </span>General Musharraf has applied in Pakistan the same oppressive policies that have caused nothing but pain and suffering in Iraq and Afghanistan.<span style=""> </span>During his time, extremism has risen to unprecedented levels in the country.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">“By continuing to suppress pro-democracy voices through lethal force, General Musharraf has brought the country to the brink of disaster.<span style=""> </span>We believe that the only way out of this mess is through democracy, justice and freedom for the people of Pakistan.<span style=""> </span>We demand that emergency be lifted immediately, supremacy of the constitution be restored, political prisoners be freed, independent press be allowed to function freely and free and fair elections be held immediately.<span style=""> </span>We also urge the US government to stop supporting General Musharraf!” said Ijaz Syed of FOSA.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Since the imposition of what amounts to a Martial Law in Pakistan, there have been numerous protests in Pakistan and all over the world.<span style=""> </span>General Musharraf’s government has cracked down on the protesters in Pakistan with brutal force.<span style=""> </span>Thousands have been beaten up the police and imprisoned.<span style=""> </span>The conscience of a civil society, lawyers and human rights activists have been specially targeted.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">PTI is a broad based pro-democracy movement for change in Pakistan whose mission is to create a free society based on justice and self-respect.<span style=""> </span>FOSA is a community based organization in the bay area that works towards a multicultural, pluralistic, and a hate-free South Asia.<span style=""> </span>ANSWER is a coalition of hundreds of organizations and prominent individuals and scores of organizing centers in cities and towns across the country. Its national steering committee represents major national organizations that have campaigned against U.S. intervention in Latin America, the Caribbean, the Middle East and Asia, and organizations that have campaigned for civil rights and for social and economic justice for working and poor people inside the United States.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p align="center" style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">###<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>