Labor Center condemns Martial Law in Pakistan

The Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) Labor Center slammed the declaration of a State of Emergency by Pakistan President Pervez Musharaff last Saturday, November 3, 2007 who cited the need to "curb extremism" as the reason behind the imposition.


"The first victim will be basic trade and civil rights of the Pakistani workers and people. With such imposition, basic rights like freedom to assemble and freedom of speech will suffer and we are to expect arrest of activists and unionists critical to Musharaff," said Elmer "Ka Bong" Labog, National Chairperson of the KMU.

According to Labog, workers in the Philippines have suffered much from Martial Law. "During the time of Ferdinand Marcos, legal mass organizations were banned and strikes were violently attacked by the police and military. Several KMU leaders and trade union organizers were abducted, jailed and killed. Under the present regime of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, a blanket Martial Law exists as part of her war on terror campaign. Workers continue to suffer similar conditions but on a much more intensified level."

"We have experienced the horrors of Martial Law and we don't want our Pakistani brothers and sisters to go through it. This is why Filipino workers are one with Pakistani working-class against the dictatorship of Musharaff," stated Labog.

Labog enjoined all freedom-loving people around the world to condemn the new imposition of Musharaff and exert pressure to restore democratic institutions inside Pakistan.