Tag: protest

  • Workers protest, beaten at biggest iPhone factory in China

    Workers protest, beaten at biggest iPhone factory in China

    Workers at the world’s biggest Apple iPhone factory were beaten and detained in protests over pay amid anti-virus controls, as tensions mounted over Chinese efforts to combat a renewed rise in infections.

    Hundreds of workers may be seen marching down a road in daylight in videos posted on Weibo and Twitter that AFP has confirmed. Some of the workers are being confronted by riot police and those wearing hazmat suits.

    A man with blood on his face was shown in a nighttime video as someone off-camera yelled, “They’re striking people, hitting people. Do they possess morals? Geolocation data that displayed recognisable features, such as a building and barricades close to staff housing on the factory compound, helped AFP verify that video in part.

    In another video, testing booths for Covid-19 were destroyed, and a car was on its side.

    In one daytime video, a loudspeaker could be heard stating, “All workers kindly return to their lodging, do not mix with a small minority of unlawful elements,” as multiple fire trucks were parked near residential buildings and were encircled by police wearing hazmat suits.

    Wide swaths of the population in China have grown weary and resentful as a result of the country’s relentless zero-Covid policy; some have spent weeks being locked up in industries and universities or unable to leave their homes.

    By Wednesday noon, the Weibo hashtag “Foxconn riots” appeared to be blocked, but some text posts discussing extensive demonstrations at the factory were still accessible.

    Requests for comment on the most recent unrest from AFP went unanswered from Foxconn or Apple.

    In the place of the fleeing workers, the firm has offered large bonuses and other incentives for employees who stayed as the local government bussed in fresh labourers in a bid to keep the factory afloat.

    Apple this month admitted the lockdown had “temporarily impacted” production ahead of the holiday season at the Zhengzhou factory, the Taiwanese company’s crown jewel that churns out iPhones in quantities not seen anywhere else.

    Foxconn is China’s biggest private sector employer, with over a million people working across the country in about 30 factories and research institutes.

    China is the last major economy wedded to a strategy of extinguishing Covid outbreaks as they emerge, imposing lockdowns, mass testing and lengthy quarantines despite the widespread disruption to businesses and international supply chains.

    The policy has sparked sporadic protests throughout China, with residents taking to the street in several major Chinese cities to vent their anger against snap lockdowns and business closures.

  • Islamabad police books PTI’s Senator Faisal Javed and others on terrorism charges for protesting after Khan’s disqualification

    Islamabad police books PTI’s Senator Faisal Javed and others on terrorism charges for protesting after Khan’s disqualification

    The Islamabad police have registered cases against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders Senator Faisal Javed Khan and others on terrorism charges for protesting against Friday’s Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) verdict which disqualified PTI Chairman Imran Khan.

    A First Information Report (FIR) was registered against PTI leaders on Friday on the complaint of Subinspector Inamullah at Islamabad’s I-9 police station.

    The FIR said police officers in an official vehicle were posted at Faizabad to maintain the law and order and security situation. It said that around 8pm on Friday, a large PTI rally of around 1,000 to 1,200 people carrying sticks and rods started moving towards Faizabad.

    The complaint named PTI leaders Amir Kiani, Wasiq Qayyum Abbasi, Faisal Javed Khan, Raja Rashid Hafeez, Umer Tanveer Butt, Rashid Naseem Abbasi and Raja Majid.

    It added that the demonstrators advanced while running over the police contingent with vehicles with the “intent to kill”.

    It is pertinent to mention that PTI workers across Pakistan came out of the streets protesting against their party chairman’s disqualification, however later at night, Imran Khan called for an end to the protests.

  • Musician ‘Iranian sisters’ sing Bella Ciao in solidarity with Masha Amini

    Musician ‘Iranian sisters’ sing Bella Ciao in solidarity with Masha Amini

    Two Iranian sisters have sung a Persian version of revolutionary Italian folk song “Bella Ciao” in response to Mahsa Amini’s death in Iran.

    The two Iranian sisters, Samin and Behin Bolouri, recorded the Persian version of Bella Ciao and uploaded it on Instagram.

    The translated version of the caption read: “We are not awake until tomorrow.”

    The video has garnered over five million views.

    Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian woman breathed her last days after being arrested by a police unit responsible for forcing Iran’s strict dress code for women. She was taken into custody for not complying with hijab rules.

    Mahsa Amini was beaten while inside a police van when she was picked up in Tehran on Tuesday. Photographs of Mahsa lying in a hospital bed have gone viral, showing the young woman in a coma with her head wrapped in bandages and breathing through tubes.

    #MahsaAmini became one of the top hashtags on Persian-language Twitter as Iranians fumed over the death of Amini. Later, women in Iran protested against the death of Amini by setting their hijabs on fire. Her death has sparked widespread protests in Iran.

    At least 70 people have died in protests and over 1,200 have been arrested following Amini’s death.

  • What did Bushra Bibi and Khan do after losing no-confidence motion? Imran reveals all

    What did Bushra Bibi and Khan do after losing no-confidence motion? Imran reveals all

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has revealed that a day after losing the no-confidence motion, he and Bushra Bibi decided to rest and watch a movie. “In the evening, we were watching a movie when I saw on my phone that the public is out on the roads”.

    Addressing his party members at PTI’s national council meeting in Islamabad, he said seeing the public made him happy. He further said that being PM was extremely difficult as every other day some new issue pops up and that he did not take a day off while he was in office.

    Protest on Aug 4

    Khan has called for a protest outside the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) office in Islamabad on Thursday (August 4) to demand Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja’s resignation.

    The former prime minister said that he wanted electronic voting machines (EVMs) for free and fair elections, accusing “CEC Sikandar Raja of sabotaging them in every way possible.”

    He said that during the recently-held Punjab by-polls, his party’s biggest concern was rigging but “despite multiple attempts, it emerged victorious”.

    The PTI chairman also claimed that the government has lost its credibility both nationally and internationally. “It has fallen to an extent that the army chief has to now request for the International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan. Can you imagine?”

    He was referring to the reports of Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa reaching out to US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman last week for help in securing an early loan dispersal from IMF.

  • ‘What has my Mum got to do with Pakistani politics?’ Jemima lashes out at PML-N for staging protest again

    ‘What has my Mum got to do with Pakistani politics?’ Jemima lashes out at PML-N for staging protest again

    The ex-wife of former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, Jemima Goldsmith, lashed out at Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) for organising a protest outside her 88-year-old mother’s house this weekend.

    In a tweet on Thursday, she said, “What the hell is wrong with these people (PML-N)? Another mass demonstration was announced outside my 88-year-old mother’s house this weekend.”

    She pointed out that this is the third time that such a protest is being organised outside her mother’s home. She called out the ruling party members for dragging her mother into Pakistani politics: “What has my Mum got to do with Pakistani politics? It’s disruptive for her and a total waste of police time.”

    Jemima tweeted after the PML-N announced a protest in response to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) call to gather in Hyde Park on July 2 and then march to Nawaz Sharif’s London residence.

    Since the removal of Imran Khan through a vote of no-confidence, several times PTI protested in London outside PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif’s residence. Similarly, PML-N workers have protested in front of Goldsmith’s residence and her mother’s in response.

    Back in April, a video shared by Jemima on Twitter showed a man threatening to break into a bedroom in her house. She had stated that her children were being targeted by protesters and that she was facing anti-semitic abuse on social media.

    After the incident, the act was widely condemned on social media as people were of the view that Jemima is not related to Pakistani politics anymore and she shouldn’t be dragged into this matter.

    It is pertinent to mention that after her divorce from Khan, Jemima moved to London and since then she has been living there with her sons.

  • ‘High hopes from youth and women’: Khan reveals plan for 2 July rally

    ‘High hopes from youth and women’: Khan reveals plan for 2 July rally

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan revealed his plans to lead the July 2 protest at the Islamabad Parade Ground against the “imported government” in a meeting of the party’s political committee.

    Khan said that he had high hopes from the youth and women of the country, urging them to register for the “tiger force”. He said that the youth and women were now politically more mature than ever, as is evident from their reaction against the ousting of his government.

    The meeting also had PTI’s Central Secretary General Asad Umar, Pervez Khattak, and Aamir Mehmood Kiyani in attendance.

    This is Khan’s second call for a protest since Azadi March.

  • PTI Azadi March: Khan leaves D-Chowk, says will come back in 6 days if no election announced

    PTI Azadi March: Khan leaves D-Chowk, says will come back in 6 days if no election announced

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan addressed the protesters at Islamabad’s 9th Avenue and gave a six-day deadline to the government for announcing elections and dissolving assemblies.

    “I had decided that I will sit here until the government dissolves assemblies and announces elections, but of what I have seen in the past 24 hours, they (govt) are taking the nation towards anarchy,” he said, claiming that the government was also trying to create a divide between the nation and the police.

    “The government tried every method to crush our Azadi March. They used teargas on peaceful protests, our homes were raided and our privacy was violated. However, I have seen the nation free itself of [the] fear of slavery,” said Khan addressing his caravan.

    He claimed that five PTI protesters were killed in clashes after the PTI’s march, saying that one had fallen off the Attock bridge amid tear-gas shelling and the other was pushed into Ravi river. He said he had also received information that three were killed in Karachi.

    Addressing the Supreme Court (SC), he asked, “What crime were we committing?”

    He said he “wants justice for the people of Pakistan from Supreme Court judges and the lawyers’ community”.

    “I am again asking the judiciary to save your FIA (Federal Investigation Agency). In the future, no FIA officer will investigate the powerful if he will meet the same end as Dr Rizwan and Asghar,” he added. Imran said peaceful protest was the right of every Pakistani and no one “gives you [the government] to treat the people in the manner that you treated them”.

    People have completely rejected the riot: Sanaullah

    Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, meanwhile, said the people “have completely rejected the riots”. In a statement posted on PML-N’s official Twitter account, Sanaullah was quoted as saying he had been personally monitoring the security situation.

    “Imran Niazi entered the city after getting permission from the Supreme Court to hold a rally at a designated place in Islamabad and broke his promise by announcing plans to go to D-Chowk.”

    Read more: PTI Azadi March: Imran sets out to lead party caravan, tensions escalate

    Army summoned to control the situation

    As the situation turned chaotic in Islamabad after Khan and his convoy entered the federal capital and started marching towards the city’s D-Chowk, the government decided to seek the help of the army to control the situation and protect the government’s offices located in the Red Zone.

    The government, in a notification, said that the army was summoned to control the situation under Article 245 of the Constitution.

    PTI, govt negotiations fail

    Following the Supreme Court’s order for the government and the PTI to hold negotiations in a bid to control the situation at 10pm Wednesday, the government’s team headed by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Ayaz Sadiq, reached the commissioner’s office in Islamabad but the PTI team, led by Bawar Awan, returned without holding the talks due to the late arrival of the government’s team.

    Sadiq said it was decided to meet at 10pm but “due to the closure of roads, the government’s team reached the Islamabad commissioner’s office 25 minutes late”.

    “We were gathered here on SC’s orders but now leaving as a sign of protest,” he told journalists. The PML-N leader added that the purpose of the dialogue was to select a place and set a guideline for PTI’s protest.

    “Following the court’s order, we have removed obstacles but the city was set on fire,” he added. “The chief commissioner had been continuously calling the PTI team but they were not responsive. However, we will wait here a little longer for them.”

    SC directs govt to provide PTI with ground between H-9, G-9 areas to hold jalsa

    The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the federal government to provide the PTI with a ground between the H-9 and G-9 areas of Islamabad to hold its public gathering.

  • Federal Govt teachers demand pay raise, promotion

    Federal Govt teachers demand pay raise, promotion

    Federal government employees have warned to hold another sit-in in the federal capital if their demands for salary increments and promotions are not met by May 23.

    They voiced the statement during a rally in front of Parliament House organised by the All-Government Employees Grand Alliance (AGEGA), where a significant number of teachers showed up, responding to the Federal Government College Teachers Association’s call (FGCTA).

    Dr Nazir Ahmed Bhutta, the FGCTA’s General Secretary, urged the government to fulfill its promise made last year in February.

    As per the agreement, all perks or allowances should be combined with basic salaries, employees should be given timely promotion and raise, including pay and pension adjustments should be implemented to minimise wage discrepancy.

    Professor Tahir Bhatti, president of the FGCTA (local unit of H-9 College), demanded the return of the Saturday weekly off for government employees who, he claimed, couldn’t afford to work six days a week due to a large increase in fuel prices in recent months.

    To preserve electricity, he believes the government should proclaim Saturday as a holiday.

    Professor Farhan Azam, senior vice-president of the FGCTA, noted that the remuneration of employees in different departments differed significantly, causing resentment among lesser-paid staff of the same grade. He proposed that professionals of the same status should have the same pay and privileges.

    Rehman Bajwa, AGEGA’s chief coordinator, cautioned that if the employees’ demands were not met by May 23, they would take to the streets after speaking with their management.

  • ‘Regrettable’: CM Sindh expresses sorrow at the mishandled MQM-P protest

    ‘Regrettable’: CM Sindh expresses sorrow at the mishandled MQM-P protest

    Chief Minister (CM) Sindh Murad Ali Shah expressed sorrow on how the provincial government handled Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan‘s (MQM-P) workers and leaders’ protest against the controversial Sindh local government bill in Karachi.

    Taking to Twitter, CM Shah said, “Yesterday’s incident outside CM House is regrettable and as a political party, we believe it’s everyone’s right to protest peacefully.”

    Expressing his sorrow over the incident, Shah said that he talked to MQM-P’s MNA Amin Ul Haq and MPA Sadaqat Ali. During their conversation, they discussed and agreed that they needed to find a peaceful solution through dialogue.

    “Explained that we were always willing to hold a meaningful dialogue. Expressed sorrow over [the] death of their colleague and ensured thorough inquiry into the matter,” tweeted Shah.

    Shah further said, “Have instructed the Home Secretary to submit a report regarding yesterday’s events within 3 days. There was an agreement between Police and protesters to use a certain route which was violated, and this is also being investigated.”

    MQM-P protesters attempted to reach the CM House for a sit-in on Wednesday.

    The police, however, baton-charged the crowd and used teargas shells in an attempt to dissuade it from entering the red zone.

    A worker of the MQM-P was killed and several others, including women, were injured when police fired tear gas and resorted to baton-charge on their sit-in outside CM House.

  • MQM vs PPP: One dead, many injured as police baton-charge MQM sit-in

    MQM vs PPP: One dead, many injured as police baton-charge MQM sit-in

    Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) workers and leaders had gathered in large numbers during the afternoon hours of Wednesday to stage a protest against the controversial Sindh local government bill in Karachi.

    Later on, the protesters attempted to reach the Chief Minister’s (CM) House for a sit-in.

    The police, however, baton-charged the crowd and used teargas shells in an attempt to dissuade it from entering the red zone.

    A worker of the MQM-P was killed and several others, including women, were injured when police fired tear gas and resorted to baton-charge on their sit-in outside CM House.

    Protest:

    MQM party leaders, including lawmakers, women, and children, started their march from the FTC on Shahrah-e-Faisal, and passing through different routes, they managed to reach CM House where they staged a sit-in.

    As per the police, the MQM-P leadership was asked to go back to the venue of the Karachi Press Club as this was the ‘Red Zone’ where all such political activities had been banned.

    The officer claimed that the MQM leaders did not listen to them, which compelled the police to take action against them by resorting to baton-charge and tear gas shelling.

    This is our Karachi — See the governance conditions, we have a right to protest: Wasim Akhtar

    Speaking on Geo News programme, ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’, MQM-P leader Wasim Akhtar said, “You [Pakistan People’s Party(PPP)] sitting in red-zone can do corruption but we cannot come there and protest? This is Karachi, these are our streets.”

    Anchorperson Shahzeb Khanzada questioned Akhtar and said that the PPP government says that Jamat-e-Islami (JI) was also protesting in Karachi for the past 27 days, the government did not stop them, and that the MQM-P broke its commitment of a peaceful protest and took the law in its own hands, as the protest was supposed to be staged outside the Press Club but the party changed the route and came to CM House, which is near the hotel where Pakistan Super League (PSL) players were staying.

    Responding to this, Akhtar said, “Shahzeb, look how they [PPP] have destroyed Sindh and Karachi. The public was charged, people are fed up with press conferences, rallies. The public said we will go and talk to CM Sahib, and request him to resolve our issues. We continued our protest in peace. I was in touch with the administration, I had assured them that nothing wrong will happen, we just need to sit and protest. We will talk with whoever comes out of the CM House and lay down our demands. Who started all this?”

    “I told the administration, that we will take a left turn from Movenpick hotel, two to three women went ahead, Murtaza Wahab was on call with Amir [Amir Khan] Sahib. Murtaza said we will come to the gate [of CM house] and you [MQM-P] can tell us your demands. This discussion was going on when shelling, and baton-charge started on the main road,” said Akhtar.

    “The police started this, people got injured, tear gas and shelling were thrown at people. We didn’t even know, we were busy with negotiations. Murtaza Wahab was still on call, we informed him that the police is taking tear gas towards the people.”

    Akhtar said that he wasn’t informed that the PSL teams were staying in Movenpick. As per his talks with the administration, he was informed that the team was staying in Marriot, and their protest was not a hindrance in the way of security of PSL players.

    MQM-P, PTI want to divert public’s attention from real issues: Saeed Ghani

    Sindh Minister for Information Saeed Ghani, while speaking on ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’, said that the situation led to the circumstances and the Sindh government had to take action.

    He further said that MQM-P decided to change the location of the protest, as they had earlier announced the demonstration outside the Karachi Press Club but they started marching towards the CM House.

    Negating Akhtar’s stance of not being aware of the situation, Ghani said they [MQM-P] were aware of the presence of the PSL teams.

    “We are not against protests, even JI has been protesting in front of the Sindh Assembly for almost a month now,” he said.

    Ghani further added that because of PSL, security is already on high alert and the protestors were warned not to move towards the CM House; however, they defied all requests and the police had to take action.

    Blaming the MQM-P, the PPP minister said that if the party workers and leaders had protested outside the Press Club, the situation would have been different.

    Criticising the party, he further added that MQM-P, along with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), wants to divert the public’s attention from the actual issues.

    MQM-P demands:

    Giving an ultimatum of 24 hours, the MQM-P have three major demands.

    The resignation of CM Sindh Murad Ali Shah. Second, Inspector General (IG) Sindh should resign immediately. The third demand is that the supporters of MQM should be released.

     MQM-P leader Amir Khan said the CM did not allow the people of Karachi to fulfill their democratic right of holding a peaceful protest.

    He urged the federal government to immediately intervene in the matter and seek an explanation from the police chief as to why women and children were subjected to brutal torture.

    MQM-P convener Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqi said democracy would be strengthened with their decisions.

    He warned former president Asif Ali Zardari to rein in his chief minister and reminded him that Bilawal House was also located in Karachi.

    “We don’t want to fight,” he said, adding that the MQM-P should not be compelled to take any ‘extreme’ measure.

    Government and Opposition’s condemnation:

    Prime Minister Imran Khan took notice of the incident and tweeted, “I have taken note of the violence used by Sindh police against MQM’s peaceful protest…Will take necessary action against those responsible after receiving these reports.”

    Sharing a video statement, Governor Sindh Imran Ismail condemned the “police brutality”, adding that local government should resolve the issue with mutual understanding and dialogue.

    https://twitter.com/GovernorSindh33/status/1486364990005256193

    Federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar said that the Constitution of Pakistan allows its citizens to protest. “PPP’s approach to suppressing dissent by force is shameful.”

    Meanwhile, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry highlighted that there was no need for such “hooliganism” at a time when PSL is just around the corner.

    Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Ali Zaidi tweeted, “Sindh Police is responsible for the death of one peaceful protester & the injuries to members of Parliament.”

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader, Miftah Ismail, said, “The democratic PPP in Islamabad is all too happy to be a feudal usurping political party in Karachi. PPP should do better than to beat peaceful protestors in the street.”

    PPP Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar also condemned police brutality. In a tweet, Khokhar said, “Death of MQM-P worker as a result of police high-handedness in Karachi is deplorable.”