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Letter of U.S. Rep. Braley to President Bush

PJF Delegation Visits U.S. Legislator Braley’s Washington DC Office

By SYED ADEEB

(InformPress.com) - Pakistan Justice Forum (PJF www.JusticeForum.info) delegation - comprising Mr. Ali Zaidi, Ms. Narjis Bokhari, Mr. Ayaz Khan, Mr. Tariq Khan, Mr. Nasir K. Baluch and Mr. Syed Adeeb - met with a staff official of U.S. Congress Member Bruce L. Braley (D-IA) on Tuesday, 4 December 2007 at his office in the U.S. House Longworth building, Washington DC, USA. They discussed the current governmental, constitutional, judicial, economic and human rights crises in Pakistan under the corrupt tyranny of criminal tyrant Pervez Musharraf.

Read the letter of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan to U.S. Congressman Bruce Braley and also read the letter of U.S. Rep. Braley to American, Republican President George W. Bush:

December 3, 2007

Mr. Bruce L. Braley
Member, Congress of the United States
U.S. House of Representatives
1408 Longworth Building
Washington, DC 20515 USA

Dear Congressman Braley:

(InformPress.com) - I refer to your letter of November 20, 2007 to President Bush.

I am writing to express my gratitude for your strong stance on ending the state of Emergency, restoration of Constitution, release of all political prisoners and protection of Opposition leaders in Pakistan. I was deeply touched by your words, especially demanding my release from prison.

As you know, Pervez Musharraf has announced that his government will be holding general elections in Pakistan in January 2008. I would like to bring to your attention factors that will render the elections farcical resulting in a non-representative and ineffective Parliament.

1. Consolidation of Powers in the Office of the President. In the last eight years since taking over the government through a military coup, Musharraf has systematically removed all systems of checks and balances that are essential to the working of a [real civilian] democracy. Specifically, through the [illegal] 17th Amendment in the Constitution, he has also taken over many powers that should be resting with the Prime Minister in our parliamentary form of democratic government. A recent Gallup poll suggests that 82% of Pakistanis want Musharraf to go.

2. Subversion of an Independent Judiciary. The only thing standing in the way of Musharraf and absolute power was an independent judiciary under [Pakistan Supreme Court] Chief Justice Iftikhar [Muhammad] Chaudhry. By illegally declaring Emergency rule (actually Martial Law), Musharraf [unlawfully] removed all the independent judges (60 out of a total of 95) from the senior judicial system of Pakistan and replaced them with relatively unknown people who are widely perceived as his allies. With all the independent judges under arrest, who will monitor the elections and provide justice to the aggrieved parties?

My political party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf [PTI] - along with several other major political parties in Pakistan and civic groups all over the country - have decided to boycott the upcoming elections until and unless [all] the independent judges are restored to the pre-November 2, 2007 status.

Congressman Braley, I request you to educate and inform your colleagues in the United States Congress that without the restoration of an independent judiciary, elections in Pakistan will neither be fair nor acceptable to a majority of Pakistanis and will lead to further unrest and turmoil.

I write to you, not as a politician, but as an individual concerned about the fundamental rights of a people of the world to another who shares his concerns.

Once again, thank you for your efforts in requesting for my release.

Warmest Regards,

IMRAN KHAN
Chairman
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)
(Movement For Justice)
Central Secretariat 11
Street No. 46, Sector F-7/1
Islamabad, Pakistan
Telephone: 92-51 227-0744
Fax: 92-51 287-3893
PTI: http://www.MoveForJustice.org
PTI Lahore: http://www.ptilahore.org

Letter of U.S. Congressman Bruce Braley to President Bush
November 20, 2007

Mr. George W. Bush
President of the United States
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500 USA

Dear President Bush:

(InformPress.com) - I am writing to express my serious concerns with the crisis in Pakistan, and to urge you to continue to work to end the state of Emergency, restore the Constitution and freedom of the press, secure the release of political prisoners, and protect Opposition leaders there.

I appreciate you sending [U.S.] Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte to Pakistan to engage in diplomatic discusions with General Pervez Musharraf. However, I am disappointed and concerned that, despite this meeting, Musharraf has given no indication that he intends to lift the state of Emergency rule before the parliamentary elections which are expected to take place in January of 2008.

It is crucial at this time that you and your Administration continue efforts to convince Musharraf to lift the state of Emergency in Pakistan and restore the Constitution and freedom of the press. As you continue your diplomatic efforts, I also specifically request that you urge Musharraf to provide the same level of security to Opposition leader Benazir Bhutto that he enjoys.

In addition, I request that you work to secure the prompt release of political detainees, and that you call for the immediate release of Imran Khan, the former Pakistani cricket star and leader of the [Pakistan] Tehreek-e-Insaf [PTI] party. The safety and freedom of these leaders, and the release of all political prisoners, is critical to ensuring fair and free parliamentary elections next year.

Thank you for your efforts and for your attention to this important matter.

Sincerely,

BRUCE BRALEY
Member of the U.S. Congress
- http://braley.house.gov
- http://www.brucebraley.com

Cc: General Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan

[Syed Adeeb is Chief Editor of the Information Press - News Views Media - www.InformPress.com - USA. Mr. Adeeb is an Investigative Journalist, Human Rights Advocate and IT Consultant based in Virginia, USA.
www.SyedAdeeb.com - www.SyedAdeeb.net
Publication Date: Wednesday, 5 December 2007
© Copyright: Information Press - www.InformPress.com - 2007-2008 - USA]

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Tags: Bush, Imran Khan, Musharraf, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, US Congressman