By: Ishak Soomro
The movement for the restoration of democracy had been formed about forty years ago. Almost all the political parties of the country participated in the “Movement of Restoration of Democracy” “MRD”, against the dictatorship of General Ziaul Haq. MRD movement was the biggest and well organized movement of Pakistan. The movement was started from 14th August 1983 across the country. In the first phase, political activists and heads of political parties presented themselves and arrested by police. It was honorary collective decision of political parties to present leaders for arrest. These arrests were started from cities including Karachi, Lahore, Quetta and Peshawar.
These vast arrests were made especially in Sindh in the form of large processions by party leaders and workers in every district and tehsil headquarters. Thousands of political workers and especially unbreakable party workers of Pakistan People’s Party and other left wing parties from Sindh and workers actively participated in the Jail Bharo movement (Fill Prison Movement). In those days only print media was available which was under hard censorship. Newspapers were half empty due to censorship. The electronic media was under state control and Pakistan Television and Radio Pakistan was only electronic media in Pakistan. Most people listened to the BBC every evening and morning, large numbers of people gathered for listening BBC radio.
In the first phase of the MRD movement, arrests (Jail Bharo Tahreek), mass processions, road sit-ins, clashes with the police, lathi charge (baton charge) and teargas were daily routine.
I started journalism in 1983 by reporting on the MRD movement. Processions and arrests were daily routine. Dozens of people honorary presented themselves and arrested by police on daily basis in cities of Sindh. The list of arrested workers was getting longer. The workers were keen to present themselves for arrest and in few days hundreds had been arrested. Prisons were filled by political workers.
It should be noted that in the beginning of the MRD movement, leaders belong to Pakistan People’s Party also participated. During their arrests, party workers and ordinary citizens used to gather in thousands in cities. Police avoided of arresting them due to their local influence and party support. Later, the police took them from their homes at night. During the movement, many police officers refused to perform their duties and started throwing away their straps and belts, which created a situation of civil disobedience, especially in Sindh.
The center of the movement was all the district headquarters of Sindh, but the most active districts were Hyderabad, Halla, Badin, Nawabshah and Dadu.
The movement became violent and clashes with law enforcement agencies in Moro, Dadu and Nowshro Feroze, Sindh. After this, half a dozen workers in Khairpur Nathan Shah District of Dadu were killed by law enforcement in the center of city. Now movement took bloody turn and many workers were killed and injured during procession. Thousands of people were participating in processions.
The lockups of small and large jails and police stations of the cities were filled so at one point the police asked arrested workers to go home in evening and come back to police station in the morning.
Seeing such a situation, the leader of this movement, Mr. Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi then leader and President of Pakistan People’s Party Sindh province wrote a letter from the prison to political workers and appealed them to stop of the movement, but the party workers did not pay any attention and continued struggle.
The movement was gaining strength and the biggest event happened on September 29, 1983, when hundreds of people of village Punhal Khan Chandio were protesting on National Highway near Sakrand District Shaheed Banazirabad/ Nawabshah, when law enforcement agencies started firing which killed 16 people and injured 51 protesters and all were arrested. There was no any justification of killing such a big number of people.
The procession was led by the late Ghulam Abbas Chandio, the elder brother of the current Provincial Assembly Member and former Senator Ghulam Qadir Chandio. He was also injured and then arrested from the procession site.
All arrested people were tried in the Military Court of Khairpur Mirs and sentenced to imprisonment with hard labor.
Among the martyrs of the horrific incident were, Ghulam Mustafa and Ali Sher, students of the sixth and eighth classes of Sakrand town High School, the majority of the martyrs and injured were youths. On that fateful day, BBC radio break the news of the incident, while the Radio Pakistan reported in its 8 o’clock news. Radio Pakistan reported that an exchange of fire held between miscreants and law enforcement agencies on the national highway near Sakrand, 16 people were killed and meanwhile 51 miscreants were arrested.
Among those arrested during the historical MRD movement were journalists, writers, teachers and all were tried in the infamous military courts.
The series of daily arrests in the movement continued for three and half months without any break.
Today, after 41 years of passing of the MRD movement, people are still at crossroads and struggling for the real democracy in the country. It’s looking that real fruit of MRD movement has not been cultivated.
The country is still suffering due to the dictatorial activities of General Ziaul Haq. Afghan War, Taliban, Jihad, Kalashnikov and Heroine Culture are also products of this era. After long struggle and MRD movement, democracy has been restored in the country but Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, Benazir Bhutto’s murder is also a result of the undemocratic and radical thinking.
Today reminds us that democracy demands sacrifice and struggle. People have given whole life in the struggle for the rights of people. We hope democracy will continue and achieve tangible results, martyrs of MRD movement will be remember and fulfill their dreams about sustainable democracy.
ishaksoomro@yahoo.com
Cell: 03002553676
(Ishak Soomro is senior journalist and political analyst of politics particularly Sindh politics and regular columnist)
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