Mexico Picket Against Trade Union Repression in Pakistan

Report of the picket outside the Pakistani Embassy in Mexico City to protest against trade union repression in Pakistan.

Some 40 people gathered today outside the Pakistani Embassy in Mexico City to protest against trade union repression in Pakistan. The picket had been called after news of the arrest of 100 trade union activists of the Civil Secretariat Employees Association in Baluchistan, including one of the Pakistan Trade Union Defence Campaign (PTUDC) organisers in this province, comrade Hameed Khan.

The gathering had been called by the Committee to Defend State Education (CEDEP), the National Polytechnic Institute Struggle Committee (CLEP) and the Mexican Marxist paper Militante. The appeal demanding the release of the arrested activists was also signed by 8 members of parliament from the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD).

Five representatives of those gathered outside the Pakistani embassy were met by the ambassador, who said that he had received the fax sent by the organisers of the protest and the one sent by the PRD MPs. He said that he was very much in favour of human and workers' rights and that "torture in Pakistan had not been used for a long time." He added that he would contact the Pakistani government regarding this case but that no response should be expected before 2 weeks!

In the meantime, five police cars arrived and asked what was all the fuss about and who was "in charge". After they were told the reason for the picket, one of them took a few pictures of those present.

The following is a list of PRD MPs who have signed the petition:

Francisco Patiño Cardona
Miguel Bortolini Castillo
Magdalena Núñez Monreal
Bonifacio Castillo Cruz
María de los Angeles Sánchez Lira
Miroslava García Suárez
Rafael Hernández Estrada
Ricardo Moreno Bastida
Gregorio Urías Germán
Jesús Garibay García