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Pakistani Power Workers' Union Leaders Freed

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11 August, 2005ICEM News release No. 79/2001

Three leaders of Pakistan's electricity workers have been released by the country's Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

They had been arrested this Monday during a violent raid by police and FIA agents on the headquarters of the Pakistan WAPDA Labour Union (PWLU) in Gujrat. WAPDA is the Pakistani power utility, currently facing privatisation plans.

The three union leaders - PWLU President Choudhry Riaz Ahmed, General Secretary Pirzad Imtiaz Syed and Assistant General Secretary Syed Zia Ullah Azam - are said to be in safety. No further details are known at present.

This was the second FIA assault on the PWLU headquarters within five months.

At the global level, the PWLU is affiliated to the 20-million-strong International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM).

On Monday, the ICEM and its affiliates worldwide protested to Pakistani President Pervez Mosharraf over the arrests and demanded the union leaders' immediate and unconditional release.