Musharraf PR team faces protest from Pakistanis in UK

Pakistanis living in London have mounted a counter campaign against the week-long visit of former ISI chief Lt-General (retired) Javed Ashraf Qazi and former State Information Minister Tariq Azim, who appears to be on a PR job for President Pervez Musharraf.

London, Dec 5 : Pakistanis living in London have mounted a counter campaign against the week-long visit of former ISI chief Lt-General (retired) Javed Ashraf Qazi and former State Information Minister Tariq Azim, who appears to be on a PR job for President Pervez Musharraf.

The Campaign Against Martial Law in Pakistan (CAMLP), a recently formed group of Pakistani students, lawyers, doctors, journalists and civil society activists in the UK, have sent protest notes to all those British officials and non-officials who have consented to meet Musharraf's special envoys.

The group has also chalked out an elaborate programme to stage protest demonstrations in front of all the meeting venues where the two would be visiting to present their version of what is happening in Pakistan.

On Tuesday, Qazi and Azim, met Lord Mark Malloch Brown, Minister of State for Africa, Asia and United Nations, MP Khalid Mahmood, members of All Party Parliamentary Group, and Mike Gapes, Chairman Foreign Affairs Committee of House of Commons and members of Pakistani community.

On Wednesday, Azim would be participating in a panel discussion on 'The plight of Pakistani media under emergency rule' at the Foreign Press Association.

Ali Dayan of Human Rights Watch would present the Pakistani media's case and Azim will defend Musharraf's current media policy.

On the same day, the special envoys would meet the members of the Pakistan-British Trade and Investment Forum at the Asia House, the Dawn reported.

ANI