Shootings stun Pakistani community

The suburban Pakistani community in Watford is stunned. Two of their young members were shot dead in the Indian High Commission this week. Workers Press reporters IAN YEATS and PHILIP WADE visited the town yesterday to investigate the reaction of the boys' relatives and friends. SHOCKED and choked with emotion, Mr Mohammed Bhatti, cousin of one of the two boys shot dead at the Indian High Commission on Tuesday, told us yesterday: I don't them.' Basharat Hussain 15-year-old friend wen two toy pistols and a sword.

It was a stupid. thing the boys did, stupid, said Mr Bhatti. 'What was the use of killing them?' Basharat Hussain, Mr Bhatti's cousin, bought the weapons from a Watford toy shop last week with £20 he drew from his bank account.

The dead boy's father, Mr Jan Mohammed (55), was too grief-striken to speak when we called at the family home in Brighton Road, Watford, on Thursday night.

Mr Bhatti said: 'He is very upset and speaks little English Kashmiris The families of all three boys come from the disputed territory of Kashmir where the Muslim population has a long tradition of hatred towards India.

The treatment of Pakistan's 90,000 prisoners held in India since the Bangla Desh war ended 14 months ago is a common topic of conversation among Pakistanis at Watford and throughout Britain.

Said Mr Bhatti: boys would have heard ALL TRADES UNIONS ALLIANCE MEETINGS Fight rising rents and prices Defend basic democratic rights Force the Tories to resign SCUNTHORPE: Sunday February 25, 7.30 p.m. The Kingsley Hall, Cole Street.

CENTRAL LONDON (Press and Entertainments branch): Sunday, February 25, 7 p.m. London Film School, Langley Street (off Long Acre), Covent Garden, WC2 'The Pageant of Working-Class History-The Road to Workers' Power' BASILDON: Sunday February 25, 5.20 p.m. Barnstable Community Centre. 'Road to Workers' Power' WANDSWORTH: Monday February 26, 8 p.m. 'King's Arms' High Street, S.W.18. 'Defend the right to work'.

WATFORD: Monday February 26, 8 p.m. Trade Union. Hall, WoodTora Road, near Watford Junction Station. 'Rise of fascism in Italy' CLAPHAM: Tuesday February 27, 8 p.m. Clapham Manor Baths, Clapham Manor Street, S.W.4. 'Defend Democratic Rights'. PADDINGTON: Tuesday February 27, 8 p.M. Harrow Road and corner of Great Western Road.

KIRKBY: Tuesday February 27, 8 p.m. Southdene Community Centre, off Broad Lane. 'Crisis of capitalism and the future of the trade unions'.

CAMDEN: Tuesday February 27, 8 p.m. Prince Albert', Wharfedale Road, Kings Cross. 'Lessons of tighting the Housing Finance Act'.

HARROW: Tuesday February 27, 8 p.m. Labour Hall, Wealdstone. 'All out for Wembley Pageant'. TOOTING: Tuesday February 27, 8 p.m._ 'Selkirk Hotel', Selkirk Road, Tooting Broadway. 'The (18), Mohammed Hanif to the Commission on talk and they decided do something.

But there was nothing behind it. They veren't members of any organization. They did it from their own spirit.

Afraid *They wanted to show the world what was happening to Pakistani prisoners. They did not even tell their friends what they intended to do. They were afraid that if they told anybody they would be stopped.' The unprecedented shooting of two of the three boys by police gun squads has rocked Watford's Pakistani community to its foundations.

Mr Bhatti is 2jr school teacher steeped the tradition of English 'fair play' and 'democracy.

He told me: 'I have been a school teacher in England for 16 years. I have always believed in the police, but I am deeply shocked and mission thanking the British would send money to his surprised by what has government for protecting parents who live in Bradthem.' ford. The money was imI believe in the rights you have under the law. sain came to Britain six Is a sick man and cannot If you do something unfair, the law is there.

'But I was sickened by vince to work in England. gamated Union of EngineerIndian High Comrise of Italian Fascism'. ABERDEEN: Wednesday, February 28, 8 p.m. Trades Hall, 24 Adelphi.

COVENTRY: Wednesday, February 28, 7.30 p.m. Woodend Community Building, Hillmorton Road. EDINBURGH: Wednesday February 28, 7.30 p.m. Graphic Club, " 15 Brunswick Street, 'Workers' rights and the fight against the Tory government.' GLASGOW: Wednesday February 28, 7.30 p.m. Woodside Hall, St George's Cross. 7.50 p.m. retal Mechanics Up.m. Metal Mechanice Premises, Charnwood Street. CROYDON: Thursday March 1, 8 p.m. Ruskin House, Coombe Road. 'Support the gasmen'. HOLLOWAY: Thursday March 1, 8 p.m. Co-op Hall, Seven Sisters Road (near Finsbury Park Station). 'Marxism and the trade unions'.

KINGSTON: Thursday March 1, 8 p.m. 'Liverpool Arms', Cambridge Road. 'Support the gasmen and hospital workers'. GLASGOW: Sunday, March 4, 3 p.m. Partick Burgh Hall, near Merkland Street Underground. 'Hospital workers and the Tory government.' BRIXTON: Tuesday March 6, 8 p.m. Brixton Training Centre, Control Room, Effra Road, SW2. 'Forward to the Pageant' Socialist Labou SHEFFIELD: Monday March 5, 8 p.m. YS PREMISES, Portobello (near Jessops hospital). The Revolutionary Party in Britain' why they had to kill Mohammed Hanif Hus- portant because his father years ago with his family, work. leaving the Kashmir ProEach week Mohammed ing Workers, Mohammed DAGENHAM: Tuesday March 6, 8 p.m. Barking Co-op Hall, Fanshawe Avenue. 'Common Market Conspiracy'.

EAST LONDON: Tuesday March 6, 8 p.m. "Festival Inn', Chrisp Street, E14. 'Support the men and hospital workers: 9asTOTTENHAM: Wednesday March 1, 8 p.m. 'Bricklayers Arms' Tottenham High Road, nr White Hart Lane. 'Forward to the Pageant WOOLWICH: Wednesday March 7, 8 p.m. 'The Castle' , Powis Street, SE18. 'Support the gasmen and hospital workers'. SLOUGH: Thursday March 8, 8 p.m. Community Centre, Farnham Road. 'Support the gasmen and hospital workers'.

STEVENAGE: Thursday March 8, 8 p.m. 'Red Lion', Stevenage Old Town. 'Forward to the Pageant'.

LEWISHAM: Thursday March 8, 8 p.m. Deptford Engineers' Club, opp New Cross Station. "Marxism and the trade unions'. WILLESDEN: Thursday March 8, 8 p.m. Labour and Trades Hall, High Road, NW10. 'Support gasmen and civil servants'. HACKNEY: Thursday March 8, 8 p.m. Parlour Room, Central Hall, opp. Town Hall, Mare Street. 'Support gasmen and civil servants.

League Lectu res GLASGOW: Sunday, February 25, 7.30 p.m. WOODS IDE HALL, St George's Cross. 1933-1938. From the German del eat to the Fourth International. Speaker: A member of the AmalAbove: At Mohammed Hanif Hussain's home—(I. to r.) a friend; a workmate Ahmed Zaffar; his uncle Sheikh Abdul Hannan; and his cousin Sohabat All. Left: Basharat Hussain's cousins, S.M. Bhatti (right) and Ahmed Mushtaq. (19), lived with relatives and friends in a small terraced house near Watford town centre.

His friend Basharat lived just around the corner.

Mohammed's relatives and friends were still stunned by the shooting when we spoke to them.

With grief filling his face, Sheik Abdul Hamman, the boy's uncle said: 'None of us can understand what the police did.

'If they went there it was because over 90,000 Pakistani prisoners are still in India. They went there only to what India is doinp , show Bitter Another of Mohammed's friends—a factory workertalked quietly about the aspirations of those Pakistanis who came to Britain.

'We all came here to work, not to get mixed up in politics. But the boys felt bitter about the prisoners of war and went to make a protest.

•Before this happened we had respect for the British law and I still cannot beNorth Devon Council of A NORTH Devon Council of Action has been formed to campaign against the Tory government and to defend the basic democratic rights of the working class.

The decision to form the Council was carried overwhelmingly only two votes against at a meeting called by the Barnstaple and District Trades Council this week.

The successful meeting was attended by about 70 people belonging to the local labour and trade union movement.

Barrie Evans, the chairman, said:

trade union Will union rap Phase TAL LLOYD'S recommendation that Hoover workers negotiate on the Tories' Phase Two pay ceiling flies in the face of every trade union principle-and the policies of his own union and even the TUC.

Lloyd, a South Wales district official of the Amalgamated Union of Engineering Workers, recommended that workers at the domestic appliance giant's Merthyr Tydfil factory accept £l plus 4 per cent as a basis for talks.

This would give them a possible maximum increase across the board of only £2.40. Yet the recommendation was made the same day as Hoover announced a £6.8m increase in its profits and a handsome dividend for its shareholders.

The AUEW is committed to a policy of resisting all forms of statutory wage control.

lieve what has happened,' he said.

Like everyone else we spoke to, he ruled out the suggestion that a group calling itself 'Black December' hạd organized the protest.

Clear 'No one knew what they were going to _ do, he explained, and • then made the point clear:

If there had been a political organization behind it they would not go there with toy guns but with the real weapons.' Declining to be named, the trade unionist, a metal mechanic, issued the following warning: "This is the first time something like this happened here. And if it can happen to our boys it can happen to anyone.

Mohammed's young cousin, Sohabat Ali, worked in the same factory as the dead boy. 'It is a terrible shock to all of us. We never thought this would happen to him.

everyone iked t bos and The said.

Action

formed today its most serious situation since the General Strike of 1926.

'No one should underestimate the significance of the further devaluation of the dollar. We are careering headlong into an international trade war between the USA, western Europe and Japan.' • A full report of the discussion will appear in Monday's Two Lloyd?

How does this square with Lloyd's recommendation? And where does the union's national executive stand on this question? Will they, at their next meeting on . Tuesday, demand that Lloyd resigns?

Lloyd is also completely out of line with the TUC, whose General Council has circularized unions telling them to reject Phase Two and fight for increases which breach it.

Will next Monday's meeting of the TUC Finance and General Purposes Committee come out clearly against the AUEW official's position? And will the Communist Party members, Labourites and nationalists supporting the Welsh TUC, of which Lloyd is inaugural chairman, repudiate his recommendation?

PADE 12 Vartara Prosa, Maturday THE CIRCULAR letter blames both