RECORDER REPORT

HYDERABAD: National Trade Union Federation (NTUF) and Sindh Agriculture General Workers Union CBA have called for reopening the murder case of Comrade Nazeer Abbasi and stopping the extrajudicial killing of political workers.

The NTUF and SAGWU held a gathering to remember Comrade Nazeer Abbasi at Hyderabad Press Club on the occasion of the 35th martyrdom anniversary of this noted revolutionary leader, presided over by NUTF central deputy general secretary Nasir Mansoor.

A large number of male and female workers, Haris, political workers and civil society leaders attended the moot. They paid rich tributes to the struggle and sacrifices of Comrade Nazeer Abbasi and demanded to reopen his murder case and punish his killers. They also demanded to stop the extrajudicial killing of political workers.

NTUF central deputy general secretary Nasir Mansoor said the extrajudicial killing of political workers has become a curse and without stopping it the democratic process cannot make further progress. He said the martyrdom of Comrade Hassan Nasir in the era of dictator Ayub Khan and the martyrdom of Comrade Nazeer Abbasi in the era of dictator Zia were the extrajudicial steps of state-run institutes and this process also continues today. Its most dreaded shape could be seen in Sindh and Balochistan.

He said the worker, Hari, women, and other exploited classes of Pakistan have been organizing themselves in factories, mills, workshops, villages, fields, farms, labour colonies and educational institutions to get the dreams of Comrade Hasan Nasir, Comrade Nazeer Abbasi and such others revolutionary leaders materialized. They are coming forward as a new force to fight the ethnic, sectarian and religious extremism promoted by the ruling classes, and they would rid the country of capitalistic, class and nationality based exploitation and pave way for a real government of workers.

Other speakers regretted that factories and mills due to lack of safety and health measures have turned virtually into killing fields of workers. The government is privatizing different entities on the dictation of capitalistic financial institutions. The state is withdrawing subsidies on eatables, healthcare, education, electricity and gas and opening floodgates of price hike.

The villages have become forced labour camps for Haris. Police and administration are serving as domestic servants of landlords. Hindu Haris have been facing the worst discrimination. Their girls are being kidnapping and forced to change their religion and subjected to sexual harassment. Identity of different nationalities is being eliminated and to raise voice against it has become a crime. Women, especially working women are facing the worst exploitation and there is no avenue left for them to seek justice.

Those spoke to the memorial gathering also included Communist Party of Pakistan central general secretary Comrade Imdad Qazi, central leader of Jeay Sindh Mahaz Abdul Khaliq Junejo, central general secretary of home-based Women Workers Federation Zahra Khan, NTUF Sindh president Gul Rahman, Sindh Agricultural General Workers Union CBA president Ali Ahmad Panhwar and vice president Khatul Faiz.