Farooq Tariq: The Lahore rebellion

By Farooq Tariq
The fight is going on. The police are sometimes retreating and then coming back to use tear gas. The protesters are also determined to express their right to get together.
The police fired directly at the demonstrators. One casualty is Shahid Siddique, the newly elected president of Lahore High Bar Association.
Thousands of rounds of tear gas have been fired at General Post Office Chowk. Many have been injured. Leading human rights activist Asma Jehanghir is also been effected badly.

All the measures and strategies of police have been shattered by mass power. They could not repeat what they could do in Karachi, Hyderabad and Multan during the last three days. It seems a total collapse of the state arrangements to stop the rally. The whole city is coming on to the streets.

The Labour Party Pakistan (LPP) contingent arrived at GPO Chowk at around 1pm. It included several women. Maqsood Mujahid, member national executive committee LPP told me on phone that all have been effected by the police attacks but all are in high spirits.

When they left the LPP office to go to the main place of demonstration, it was clear to them that they are going to be arrested but they all wanted to go ahead.
PMLN leader Mian Nawaz Sharif is on the way to Lahore after breaking all police barriers and thousands are with him.
All the measures and strategies of police have been shattered by mass power. They could not repeat what they could do in Karachi, Hyderabad and Multan during the last three days.
It seems a total collapse of the state arrangements to stop the rally. The whole city is coming on to the streets. The police brutalities of the last few days are coming to an end.
The PPP regime has no option but to accept the demands of restoration of judges.
From Islamabad, I got a call from Nisar Shah, general secretary LPP, he is now being hunted by the police after he made a successful escape after being arrested along with another comrade. He was with Javed Hashmi, a leader of Muslim League, who is now also arrested.
Nisar Shah is hiding in a flat of unknown people who offered him to provide a shelter.

Farooq Tariq is Spokesperson of the Labour Party Pakistan (LPP)