Document #1076699
IRB – Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (Author)
No reference to the treatment of women members of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) by Muslim extremists could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.
However, a 3 February 2001 article reported the Vice Chairman of the PPP as "strongly condemning" the arrest and continued detention of PPP women demonstrators who had been protesting in Lahore against the "rising cost of living, unemployment and lawlessness" (Dawn 3 Feb. 2001). The women had been denied bail and the right to meet their legal counsel or male family members at the police stations (ibid; Financial Times Information 2 February 2001; Agence France Presse 2 February 2001). In another case, police baton-charged and arrested PPP women workers who were protesting in favour of government reform (Pakistan Press International 13 March 2001). As well, a 8 May 2001 article reported that the PPP had decided not to attend a conference on "representation of women in parliament and local government" citing "state violence against political workers, particularly women" as the reason (Dawn 8 May 2001). The PPP was apparently protesting the arrest of PPP women participating in the banned May pro-democracy protests in Karachi (Dawn 2 May 2001). Another incident in Lahore involved a clash between police and PPP Women Wing activists (Dawn 2 May 2001b). In this case, Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD) leaders and workers were trying to gain access to the Lahore airport when police barred their way. The women were "manhandled" and subsequently jailed (ibid).
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
Agence France Presse. 2
February 2001. "Bhutto's Party Demands Release of Women Activists
in Pakistan."(NEXIS)
Dawn [Karachi]. 8 May 2001.
"PPP Not to Attend Government Moot." htttp://www.dawn.com/2001/05/08/nat1.htm
[Accessed 3 July 2001]
_____. 2 May 2001. "ARD Men Clash with
Police, Court Arrests: Stones Hurled, Tear-gas Shells Lobbed." htttp://www.dawn.com/2001/05/02/top2.htm
[Accessed 5 July 2001]
_____. 2 May 2001b. "PPP Women Activists
Clash With Police." htttp://www.dawn.com/2001/05/02/nat1.htm
[Accessed 4 July 2001]
_____. 3 February 2001. "Islamabad:
Arrest of Women Protesters Criticized." htttp://www.dawn.com/2001/02/03/local18.htm
Financial Times Information. 2
February 2001. "Pakistan People's Party Demands Release of Women
Workers." (NEXIS)
Pakistan Press International
[Karachi]. 13 May 2001. "Police Baton Charges PPP Women
Protesters." (NEXIS)
Additional Sources Consulted
Human Rights Commission of Pakistan,
State of Human Rights in 2000 (CD-ROM)
IRB databases
Jane's Intelligence Review
LEXIS/NEXIS
Research Directorate. Country File,
January 2000-
World News Connection
Internet sites, including:
Amnesty International
BBC
CNN
Dawn
Frontier Post
Human Rights Commission of Pakistan
Human Rights Watch
Integrated Regional Information
Networks
International Relations and Security
Network
News International
Pakistan Daily
Pakistan News Service
UN News
Women Living Under Muslim Laws