[van-announce] Stop Bombing Pakistan! End the Occupation Afghanistan!

[usman x]

On President Obama's visit to Canada
PROTEST U.S. BOMBINGS OF PAKISTAN 
AND THE OCCUPATION OF AFGHANISTAN
 
Thursday February 19, 2009
 
Drop In Picket 
12pm - 5pm, 
US Consulate 1076 W.Pender St. 

Candelight Vigil
5:30 pm - 7pm 
Vancouver Art Gallery, Robson Sq.
 
On Thursday, February 19, to mark the first official visit of U.S.
president Barack Hussein Obama to Canada concerned members of the
South Asian community and their supporters from throughout the Lower
Mainland plan to publicly express their protest against the continuing
drone attacks on the sovereign territory of Pakistan and the continued
occupation of Afghanistan.
 
Whatever "change" and "hope" Barack Obama promised to bring to the
people of the USA and of the world, when it comes to Afghanistan and
Pakistan, it is only a continuation of the drastic and irresponsible
policies followed by George Bush. During the last six months of his
presidency, the Bush administration extended the occupation of
Afghanistan by carrying out 30 air strikes on Pakistani soil, killing
220 people. And within days of assuming his presidency, on January 23,
Barack Obama ordered another air strike on Pakistan. As a result, two
separate Pakistani villages were attacked by drones, killing 22
people, most of them women and children.
 
Clearly this is an undeclared war against a sovereign country. The
drone attacks have continued despite publicly expressed denunciations
of this violation of sovereignty by the Government of Pakistan, as
well as by a vast majority of Pakistani people.
 
Many innocent people have been killed and maimed, mirroring the fate
of Afghan civilians across the border. U.S drone attacks have
devastated tribal areas such as Bajaur on the border of Pakistan and
Afghanistan, further impacting families already separated by the
Durand line.
 
The drone attacks by the U.S. have contributed to increasing the
instability and tensions within communities in that region with the
bombing of mosques and schools, and the indiscriminant killings of
scores of civilians.
 
The U.S led war on terror has also resulted in the disappearances and
detentions of thousands of civilians in Pakistan. The cases of these
disappeared people have still not been brought to trial despite years
of work by their families and human rights activists.
 
This expansion of the American war into Pakistan will only destabilize
the entire South Asian region, with serious consequences for the whole
world.
 
Bombs do not bring peace
 
As the Canadian Peace Alliance has recently stated: "Mr Obama was
elected because of a desire for peace and change. The people of Canada
and, indeed, the people of the world, urge him to remember that and to
cancel plans to expand the wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan."
 
We, the people of South Asian origin demand peaceful negotiations if
there are conflicts to be resolved. And we say NO to the imperialist
interventions and occupations: in Pakistan and the whole South Asian
region, in Afghanistan, in Iran, and everywhere else. Terrorism cannot
be eradicated by bombs and occupations but only by addressing the
structural inequalities and conditions of oppression that are faced by
the majority of people in Pakistan and Afghanistan and by respecting
the needs of the people and their desire for independence and
sovereignty.
 
We also understand that our struggle cannot be waged in isolation and
that we must also speak out against the injustices faced by other
communities.
 
We stand in solidarity with our Indigenous sisters and brothers
fighting for justice both here and around the world.
 
We also express our solidarity with all the other peoples of the world
fighting for liberation and justice from Sri Lanka to Iran to Gaza to
the Philippines and beyond.
 
We ask all peace and freedom loving people to join us and stand in
solidarity with the Pakistani and Afghan people to collectively send a
message of "hope" and "change" to Ottawa during Obama's visit on
February 19th:
 
Obama, can you stop the bombing of Pakistan?

Obama, Harper, can you end the occupation of Afghanistan?
 
YES, YOU CAN! YES, YOU CAN!
 
Organized by:
South Asian Ad-hoc Committee for 
Action Against Aggression 
 
Endorsing Organizations:

Fraser Valley Peace Council, South Asian Network for Secularism and
Democracy (SANSAD), Siraat Collective, Pakistan Action Network (PAN),
Canadian Muslim Union, StopWar.Ca, No One Is Illegal (Vancouver),
Colour Connected Against Racism (UBC)
 
For further information, contact:
Amal Rana, 604-764-6257
Hari Sharma, 604-420-2972
Shahzad Nazir Khan, 604-613-0735
email: stopthebombings at gmail.com
on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=53834426221
*******************************************

-- 
"Until all of us are free, the few who think they are remain tainted 
with enslavement." Lee Maracle
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