Six
power loom workers’ leaders sentenced for 10 year
each by Anti-Terrorist Court in Faisalabad
By Khalid Mahmood
Anti-Terrorist Court’s
judge Mian Muhammad Anwar Nazir sentenced six Labour
Qaumi Movement’s leaders for 10 years each under
terrorism charges in Faisalabad this evening.
Four LQM’s leaders Akbar Ali Kamboh, Babar Shafiq
Randhawa, Fazal Elahi, Rana Riaz Ahmed were arrested
on 22nd July 2010 by Faisalabad police
after a strike call by power loom workers for 17%
increase in wages as per announcement of the
government. Two other leaders Muhammad Aslam Malik
and Asghar Ali Ansari were also arrested under same
charges four months back.
Arrests of the workers under terrorism charges and
this decision by the court is result of a notorious
campaign by the owners, district administration and
local politicians against rising power loom workers
movement in Faisalabad. Punjab Government’s actions
against workers are increasing with everyday.
Appointments of Aftab Cheema as DPO and Nasim Sadiq
as DCO of Faisalabad last year by Shehbaz Sharif was
mainly to control the rising movement of workers.
These two officers made many promises with LQM
leadership to re-investigate the case against
arrested workers but did not fulfill these promises.
Instead they have supported owners of the power
looms in their actions against workers.
More than 100,000 workers of power loom in
Faisalabad district went on strike on July 20, 2010
for an increase of wages which had been announced by
the government during the presentation of budget
2010-11. The government announced 17 % rise in the
minimum wage for the private sector workers. Labour
Qaumi Movement (LQM), organization of the power loom
workers in Faisalabad, Jhang and other districts,
had been in negotiation with power loom owners for
three weeks for wage increase. The power loom
employers were not accepting these just demands and
started spreading poisonous propaganda against
workers by labeling them as terrorists.
The four
leaders of the striking workers were then illegally
arrested by the Thekri Wala police station, Sudhar,
Faisalabad without any First Information Report
(FIR) and kept in police lock up without any
charges.
It was reported that during the strike
the workers remained peaceful but the owners of
factories and their henchmen and police remained
violent against the striking workers. The owners and
their henchmen resorted to violence by throwing
stones and bricks on the peaceful march of workers
from one side of the protest, while police used tear
gas shells on the workers from the other end. 25
workers were injured including Mr. Tahir Rana, the
president of LQM Faisalabad district, who was
critically injured. Around 100 workers were also
arrested.
The print and electronic media reported
that thousands of workers from different areas of
Faisalabad district have marched despite a police
ban on public gatherings. As the workers began their
march, gangsters of power loom owners started
straight firing at the striking workers in Sudhar
area of Faisalabad. Sudhar is the suburb of
Faisalabad where a big number of power loom
factories is located. This area had been a scuffle
ground between workers and owners for the three
years as the workers organized themselves
effectively in huge number there.
Leadership of LQM has is holding a workers’ meeting
tomorrow to discuss the future strategy after
decision for sentencing workers. Labour Education
Foundation condemns decision of sentencing workers
under terrorism charges for raising voice wage
increase. We believe that only way out for workers
in the present setup of capitalists and feudals is
to organize more and more workers and to develop
movements across Pakistan.
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