A demonstration was called for today, March 8, which was organized by Action Front Poonch (Azad Kashmir) against the failure of the Earthquake Rehabilitation & Reconstruction Authority (ERRA) to meet the objectives of its reconstruction programme in Kashmir following the disastrous earthquake of October 8, 2005. The demonstration was organized by the Action Front Poonch.

The demonstration was brutally attacked by the state. This aggression resulted in serious injuries to and the arrest of several protesters.

This incident shows the depths of the decline of capitalism in the subcontinent, as the regimes in Azad Kashmir and Pakistan cannot even tolerate a peaceful demonstration of the people. Bourgeois democracy is a farce, a mask, behind which lies the face of capitalist dictatorship.

The following comrades have been arrested:

Amjad Shahswar (JKNSF)

Sohail Rafiq (JKNSF)

Mansoor Tahir (President, AFP)

Comrade Amjad Shahswar was seriously injured by the police and is currently in critical condition.

We appeal for international solidarity to protest against the brutal treatment and arrest of the protesters. An injury to one, is an injury to all! Down with the capitalist brutality!

Long live the struggle for socialism!

Your help is needed!

You can send a protest message to the President of Pakistan by going to this site:

http://www.presidentofpakistan.gov.pk/Write2thePresident.aspx

Please also use the contact form of the Ministry of Kashmir Affairs and Northern Areas at:

http://www.pakistan.gov.pk/ministries/ComplaintQueries.jsp?MinID=14

You can also find your local Pakistani embassy, if you wish to write to them, at:

http://www.embassyworld.com/embassy/pakistan.htm

And of course solidarity messages can be sent to:

info@ptudc.org