SOUTH ASIA - House Foreign Affairs Committee Democrats

2303cast on television; however, some sensitive series have been canceled before broadcast.The Government and universities generally respect academic freedom. The atmosphereof violence and intolerance fostered by student organizations, typically tied topolitical parties, continued to threaten academic freedom, despite the fact that a1992 Supreme Court ruling prohibits student political organizations on campuses.On some campuses, well-armed groups of students, primarily from radical religiousorganizations, clash with and intimidate other students, instructors, and administratorson matters of language, syllabus, examination policies, grades, doctrine, anddress. These groups facilitate cheating on examinations, interfere in the hiring ofstaff at the campuses, control new admissions, and sometimes control the funds oftheir institutions. At Punjab University, the largest university in the province,Islami Jamiat-e-Tulaba (IJT—the student wing of the religious political partyJamaat-i-Islami) imposes its self-defined code of conduct on teachers and other students.b. Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and Association.—The suspended Constitutionprovided for freedom ‘‘to assemble peacefully and without arms subject to any reasonablerestrictions imposed by law in the interest of public order;’’ however, whilethe Government until March generally permitted peaceful assembly, it later imposedsignificant restrictions on this right. Since 1984 Ahmadis have been prohibitedfrom holding any conferences or gatherings (see Section 2.c.). Throughout theyear, the Government occasionally interfered with large rallies, which were held byall political parties. On March 15, the Musharraf regime enacted an ordinance banningall public political gatherings, processions, and strikes. Government officialsclaimed that the ban was enacted as a safety measure for the visit of an officialhead of state; however, the ban remained in place at year’s end, although it hasbeen enforced unevenly. Some groups circumvented the ban by meeting in privatehomes while using loudspeakers to carry the proceedings to supporters outdoors.The Government approved some public political gatherings, including a meeting ofthe Grand Democratic Alliance in September where parties debated which steps totake to return the country to democracy.District magistrates occasionally exercised their power under the Criminal ProceduresCode to ban meetings of more than four persons where demonstrationsseemed likely to result in violence. During the year, police made preventive arrestsof political party organizers prior to announced demonstrations. For example, inJuly police arrested a group of Sharif supporters on their way from Lahore to Peshawarfor a demonstration. On August 11, police arrested 40 PML supportersahead of a planned public meeting on the country’s independence day. In Septemberpolice in Lahore arrested more than 500 members of the PPP for shouting anti-Musharraf and anti-army slogans. In October police arrested approximately 300 oppositionleaders prior to a planned demonstration commemorating the year anniversaryof the coup.The MQM has been harassed in its regular political activities, especially by theSindh police. On February 19, police arrested 35 MQM and Jiye Sindh QaumiMahaz (JSQM, a national Sindhi political party) members during a public protestagainst layoffs of Urdu and Sindhi speaking workers from Pakistan Steel (see Section1.d.). On February 19, police personnel arrested 40 members of JSQM whoplanned to participate in a strike (see Section 1.d.). Police frequently arrested PMLleaders and supporters in order to prevent planned demonstrations during the year;the HRCP noted that all public PML demonstrations in Karachi were prevented, exceptfor meetings at the party’s headquarters (see Section 1.d.).In August 1999, the Sharif Government issued an ordinance related to the antiterroristcourts (see Section 1.e.). One section of the ordinance made ‘‘illegal strikes,go-slows, (or) lock outs’’ punishable by up to 7 years’ imprisonment and a fine. Awide spectrum of opposition groups opposed this measure, fearing that it would beused to silence legitimate dissent. The anti-terrorist courts did not invoke this ordinanceduring the year.Police also arrested about 300 Muslim clerics and students in Lahore in May andstudents in Lahore during protests against General Musharraf’s proposed changesto the blasphemy laws (see Sections 1.c. and 2.c.).Police sometimes used excessive force against demonstrators. On April 29, a localnewspaper reported that police attacked with batons and then arrested more than150 journalists from Islamabad and Rawalpindi during a peaceful rally (see Sections1.c. and 2.a.). On June 3, police attacked with batons a procession of 200 small businessowners who were protesting a government campaign to collect sales taxes; policealso arrested three demonstrators (see Section 1.c.). On June 9, police openedfire to disperse a protest in Peshawar; four persons were injured (see Section 1.c.).VerDate 11-MAY-2000 13:46 Sep 20, 2001 Jkt 071555 PO 00000 Frm 00147 Fmt 6601 Sfmt 6621 F:\WORK\COUNTRYR\S71555\71555.036 HINTREL1 PsN: HINTREL1