Received from AH Nayyar on the People’s Resistance network
The hunger strike by two leaders of Awami Jamhoori Ittehad in Islamabad has now entered the third day. Iqbal Bali and Jahangir Akhter have been on hunger strike to protest the illegal incarceration of the children of Chief Justice Iftikhar. They are sitting in a camp in front of the Marriott Hotel, Islamabad, near the Judges colony, and have vowed to end their strike only at the hands of Justice Iftikhar’s youngest son, Balach.
Today, they marched with other protesters to the police barrier at the entrance to the judges colony, and unsuccessfully tried to cut the heavy roll of barbed wires. Even a jeep could not pull the wires away. The protesters remained at the barrier for over an hour, raising slogans. Yesterday, Justice retired Tariq Mahmood visited the camp, stayed with the protesters for quite some time, and addressed the gathering.
Both the hunger strikers are old in age. Iqbal Bali is seventy six, and Jahangir Akhter 65. Jahangir suffers from sugar and kidney problems, while Iqbal is a heart patient. But both of them are determined to continue with the strike, although the strike has started to have a visible toll on their health. Others will join them in the strike, some for a symbolic 24 hour hunger strike, others for a 48 hour strike, while these two have vowed to continue until death or release of Iftikhar Choudhry’s children, whichever comes sooner.
Comments
2 responses to “Hunger Strike in Islamabad for CJP Iftikhar Chaudhry’s Children”
if eighter of them dies of hunger, musharaf is screwed.
Iqbal Bali is a very determined person. Even at this age and illness he is facing, he comes in every protest.
I pray both of them achieve their goals without hurting themselves, and no one dies