The student wing of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) is called the Sindh Peoples Students Federation (SPSF) (Business Recorder 1 July 1997; The News 12 Dec. 1999a; DWS 29 Mar. 1995). The PPP youth wing is known as the Sindh Peoples Youth Organization (SPYO) (ibid.; Dawn 15 Nov. 1997; The News 12 Dec. 1999b). Reports indicate that there are Shaheed Bhutto (SB) factions of both groups (Dawn 23 Sept. 1999; DWS 29 Mar. 1995; The News 12 Dec. 1999a; Business Recorder 1 July 1997).

On 15 November 1997 Dawn reported that a day earlier SPYO had led an anti-government rally in Mirpurkhas. Among those who addressed the rally were SPYO president Dr. Fida Hussain Merani, general secretary Lala Rehman, and district president Ishaque Narejo (ibid.).

On 8 September 1998 DPA reported that two PPP members, Sattar Niazi and his friend Zia, had been shot to death in the Pak Colony area of western Karachi. The two were returning from the funeral of a friend when they were attacked by a lone unidentified gunman (ibid.). Niazi was a former leader of the SPSF and a close friend of Asif Zardari, Benazir Bhutto's husband (ibid.).

On 18 April 1999 Dawn reported that law enforcement personnel in Hyderabad had raided the main SPYO office and the residence of SPYO general secretary Lala Rehman Pathan, and detained more than a dozen SPYO activists, near the Jamshoro Colony area of Hyderabad. The arrests occurred during a PPP strike that was "crippling" the Sindh interior (ibid.).

On 23 September 1999 Dawn reported that the SPSF(SB) and Jeay Sindh Students Federation (JSSF) in Larkana had resolved their differences after a "marathon session" of discussions brokered by senior officials of the Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz (JSQM) and PPP(SB). The two student groups had been involved in a series of attacks and retaliations that had resulted in the JSSF activists being barred from entry to the campus by their SPSF(SB) rivals (ibid.).

Two days later, on 25 September 1999, Dawn reported that police in Hyderabad had arrested 24 SPYO activists, thereby preventing the group from staging a hunger strike on the premises of the Hyderabad sessions court. Among those arrested was the SPYO divisional president, Amjad Baloch, senior vice-president Yasin Sahar, and information secretary Makhdoom Sajid Hussain (ibid.). The arrested youth-wing activists reportedly continued their hunger strike in police custody (ibid.).

On 12 December 1999 The News reported that the SPSF(SB) in Hyderabad had called a strike to press the government to abandon the Kalabagh dam project (12 Dec. 1999a). The strike was largely peaceful (ibid.). That same day in Jacobabad SPYO(SB) and SPSF(SB) participated in another protest rally against the dam (ibid. 12 Dec. 1999b). Among those who addressed the rally were SPYO(SB) central organizer Nadeem Qureshi and SPSF(SB) district president Faiz Mohammad Khoso (ibid.).

Information on whether members of the PPP student and youth wings were involved in the 1997 election campaigns in the city of Mansehra, North West Frontier Province (NWFP), and their treatment by Pakistan Muslim League (PML) members before and after the 1997 elections, could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

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 additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Business Recorder [Karachi]. 1 July 1998. "Sindh Students Stage Demo Against Kalabagh Dam." http://brecorder.com [Accessed 12 May 2000]

Dawn [Karachi]. 25 September 1999. "Hyderabad: 24 PPP Youths Arrested." http://dawn.com [Accessed 27 Sept. 1999]

_____. 23 September 1999. "Larkana: JSSF, SPSF-SB End Hostilities." http://www.best.com/~karachi/news/Sep_99/092399.html [Accessed 12 May 2000]

_____. 18 April 1999. "PPP Strike Cripples Sindh Interior." http://dawn.com [Accessed 19 Apr. 1999]

_____. 15 November 1997. "SPYO Rally." http://www.best.com/~karachi/news/nov97/111597.txt [Accessed 12 May 2000]

Dawn Wire Service (DWS). 29 March 1995. "Over 100 Held in Hyderabad Crackdown." http://www.lib.virginia.edu/area-studies/ [Accessed 12 May 2000]

Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA). 8 September 1998. BC Cycle. "Government Official, Activists Among Three Killed in Karachi." (NEXIS)

The News [Karachi]. 12 December 1999a. "Sindh Minister Flays Kalabagh Dam Project." http://www.jang.com.pk/thenews/spedition/kalabagh/6.htm [Accessed 12 May 2000]

_____. 12 December 1999b. "Anti-Dam Strike in Hyderabad, Thatta." http://www.jang.com.pk/thenews/spedition/kalabagh/7.htm [Accessed 12 May 2000]

IRB databases.

LEXIS-NEXIS.

Political Handbook of the World 1999. 1999.

Political Parties of Asia and the Pacific. 1985.

World Encyclopedia of Political Systems and Parties. 1987.

World News Connection (WNC).

Internet sites including:

Pakistan People's Party (PPP).

Political Parties, Interest Groups and Other Movements.

World Sindhi Congress (WSC).

Internet search engines including:

Alltheweb.com

Metacrawler

Dogpile

GoTo.com

Google