An Urgent Appeal to all Pakistanis

This is an appeal to all expatriate Pakistanis. Mr Ardeshir Cowasjee, a Journalist/Community Leader par excellence has been threatened by the Sindh Minister of Industries. Following is the outline of the remarks that were made by the Minister in question to the esteemed journalist.

“The honourable minister referred to my column printed in Dawn on Sunday, August 8, 2004, (copy attached hereto) and asked Nazim to inform me that:

- He, the minister, had asked Dawn not to print such columns in future and if they continued to so do they would do so at their own risk and peril.

- He would be taking action to have the police security provided to me withdrawn.

- It was my (Cowasjee’s) aim to stop Karachi and Sindh from being industrialized and that my aim was that people should invest in the Punjab rather (than) in this province.

- His party is all-powerful (omnipotent) and that they would take necessary action against me (Cowasjee).

- He (the minister) was going to Dubai for a few days and that on his return Nazim should meet him and tell him about the problems he was facing as an industrialist in the SITE area.

"I have read this letter out to Nazim Haji on the telephone and he has confirmed to me that he is prepared to endorse all that has been written above.

"Our president (and minister Siddiqui’s president) is rightly waging a war against not only worldwide terrorism but the homegrown terrorism now flourishing in Pakistan. He is preaching ’enlightened moderation’ to the Muslim world at large and particularly to his citizens at home.

"How is it that a minister of General Musharraf’s own government is using terrorist tactics out of pique and out of having been somewhat exposed? And what connection do his words have with either enlightenment or moderation?

"Please be good enough to take necessary action."

I would like to request that all of us Pakistanis write in to the Pakistani embassies of our relevant countries. We request that Mr Cowasjee should not be treated in this way and necessary action be taken against the Minister in Question. I request that all of us also send statements of support to Mr Cowasjee on the following address arfc@cyber.net.pk. Please also visit the Dawn article on http://www.dawn.com/weekly/cowas/cowas.html.

A lot of us expatriate Pakistanis are frustrated by the limitations of what we can or cannot do in knowledge of events in our homeland. It is time that we realize our strength in numbers and start using our demographic rights as Overseas citizens of Pakistanis and start making some noise in the embassies that are suppose to represent us. With enough noise here, we are certain to get some of the resultant echoes to reach the federal government quarters of Pakistan. I would like to request all of you to do whatever you can and reassert our role in Pakistan. Brave people like Mr Cowasjee deserve our respect and our support, and it is time for us to stop the debates and empty rhetoric and take actions that would actually translate into credible actions.