Pakistan: Multi-Party Conference Update

Several political parties and social movements have confirmed to participate in the Multi-Party Conference (MPC) in Lahore. 

The MPC will be organized by Labour Relief Campaign on 29^th August at Hotel Ambassador.

Those who have confirmed include Senator Hasil Bizenjo of National Party, Abid Hasan Minto President Workers Party Pakistan, Ihsan Wain General Secretary Awami National Party, Choudry Manzoor Ahmad President Peoples Labour Bureau, former Senator Tariq Choudry of Tehreek Insaaf, Nisar Ahmad Shah General Secretary Labour Party Pakistan, Jamil Omar Awami Jamhoori Forum, Nazar Mengal of Pakistan Trade Union Defense Campaign, Lal Khan Editor Asian Marxist Review, Ilyas Khan Secretary Peoples Lawyers Forum, Manzoor Gilani President Istiqlal Party, Mian Abdul Qayum Chairman Labour Qaumi Movement, Mehr Abdul Sattar Secretary Anjaman Mozarein Punjab, Dr. Mohammed Zahid Pakistan Medical Association, Majid Wazeer, President Professors and Lecturers Association, Shahtaj Qazalbash Convener Joint Action Committee for Peoples Rights, Nasir Mansoor Deputy Secretary National Trade Union Federation, Mian Misbah-ur-Rehman President Lahore Gymkhana and Jahangir Badar General Secretary Pakistan Peoples Party. Senator Pervaiz Rashid Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz has also indicated that he will join the conference. Representatives of Lahore High Court Bar Association, Supreme Court Bar Association and District Bar Association Lahore will also participate in the conference.

Abdul Khaliq Shah, the focal person in Pakistan of the Campaign For the Cancellation of Third World Debt and Aasim Sajjad Akhtar of Workers Party Pakistan will open the conference and will outline the main purpose of the conference. They will argue that non-payment of foreign debts is a way out of our crises that the Pakistan government should adopt. They will also demand that the IMF and the World Bank should abolish the Pakistan’s debt.

Ammar Ali Jan, one of the Multi-Party Conference organizers said in a statement that the conference wishes to forge a united platform on how the country can tackle the current crisis. In particular, we are keen to suggest that international donors and organizations make ‘grants’ not ‘loans’, wipe off Pakistan’s debt or re-negotiate its ‘servicing’. Likewise, our domestic military budget has to be revised and discussed. Further, we believe it is important that all parties are alert at this time and mobilized in directing the country forward. The grassroots relief efforts that have emerged across the country are heartening, but a crisis of this magnitude can only be handled by an institution with the resources and reach of the federal government. As in all disasters, the assistance of the military will be necessary — but this must be subject to civilian oversight, and must not be exploited to glorify the Army at the expense of the civilian government. The military's relative strength is a direct legacy of pro-Army federal budgets, Ammar Ali Jan said.

Labour Relief Campaign is a network of 8 political and social organizations including Labour Party Pakistan. It has raised funds of over 3 million rupees and distributed among the flood victims through setting up of relief camps in different cities all along the Indus Valley from Khyber-Pakhtoonkhwa to Sindh and Baluchistan.

Farooq Tariq

spokesperson
Labour Party Pakistan
40-Abbot Road Lahore, Pakistan
Tel: 92 42 6315162 Fax: 92 42 6271149  Mobile: 92 300 8411945 

labour_party@yahoo.com  www.laborpakistan.org  www.jeddojuhd.com