Online Petition sign Campaign started against Documentary Inshallah Democracy by Jamil Khan

In his petition, the petitioner Mr. Jamil Khan writes as below

To David Mepham,

Director,

Human Rights Watch, UK.

Subject: Calling off documentary screening ‘InshaAllah Democracy’ that glorifies former military dictator, Pervez Musharraf, in the film festival organised by Human Rights Watch at South Bank, London, on 9th March 2018

It is really disappointing to see former dictator, absconder, a war criminal and terror-sympathiser, Pervez Musharraf, is being praised in a festival organised by Human Rights Watch at South Bank on 9th of March 2018. The documentary ‘Insha’allah Democracy’ legitimises and glorifies military dictatorial rules and undermines civilian/parliament supremacy. It is the same Pervez Musharaf who abrogated country’s democratic constitution twice in 1999 and 2007, jailed political activists and has been involved in numerous international and domestic war crimes and crimes against humanity. Some of his crimes may include:

- Hosted most wanted terrorist Osama Bin Ladin. 

- Murder of two high profile opposition leaders including former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and former Chief Minister of Balochistan Nawab Akbar Bugti.

- Genocide of people of Balochistan and several human rights abuses against the people of Pakistan. In an interview he openly suggests to assassinate Baloch nationalists and their supporters who are living outside Pakistan.

Today Musharaf is an absconder on numerous murder and treason charges with multiple arrest warrants out for him. 

In light of Musharaf's well-documented against law and people of Pakistan, It is unfathomable how a prestigious organisation like HRW can glorify such a criminal as such events not only further embolden criminals such as Musharaf but also inadvertently endorse the wrong values, which are inconsistent with British values of free-speech, democracy, rule of law and respect for human life. 

On HRW Facebook page, the caption of the Facebook post about this documentary depicts Musharaf as ‘secular and liberal’. It is highly misleading and ignores that fact Musharraf has publicly lauded Lashkar-i-Tai’ba (now Jamat-u-Dawa) which has been indoctrinating radical ‘jihad’ among Kashmiris and calls himself ‘biggest supporter’ of Hafiz Saeed, the UN-designated terrorist.

We, human rights activists from Pakistan and the UK, condemn this documentary glorifying undemocratic culture in Pakistan and urge Human Rights Watch to call off this documentary screening from its festival. We believe that this documentary, using HRW platform, insults the sacrifices of those activists who gave their lives for civilian supremacy and demoralises those activists who are advocating for accountability of former dictators.

 We request human rights organisations to record their protest against glorification of a dictator who has been involved in numerous international and domestic war crimes and crimes against humanity, under the patronage of Human Rights Watch.

From,

Concerned Citizens of Pakistan and the UK

ractivists@gmail.com