Increase Of DIsappearing in Pakistan

FROM THE DESK OF AHRC, HONGKONG

INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST & WRITER ANAYLIST.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AHRC-STM-229-2008September 1, 2008..........

A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission PAKISTAN: Government should release all disappeared persons incustody of police and intelligence servicesThe forced disappearances of political opponents by the stateintelligence services continues in spite of newly electedgovernment's claims that the issue will be solved when the coalitionpartners come into power. However, since the formation of the mewgovernment no serious moves have been initiated to address the issue.on the contrary, the state intelligence agencies are operating freelywith the knowledge of government. Since the formation of the newgovernment about 31 persons are missing after their arrests, mostly,from the southern province of Balochistan where military operationscontinue. Some religious groups claim that more than 23 persons,mostly the young and students are missing after arrest. The 'War on Terror' after the attack on the World Trade Centre inAmerica has given the Pakistani military authorities a free hand toarrest opponents of the government and religious activists, torturethem and keep them incommunicado for several months in order toobtain confessional statements. This terrible injustice is beingcontinued even after the formation of the newly elected government asthe Pakistan army is refusing them access to their domain. The advisor to the prime minister and minister in charge of interioraffairs has said, in his recent visit to the Balochistan province, onAugust 27, 2008, that 1102 persons are still missing from Balochistanand the government will try to locate them. His acceptance of thestatistics that more than 1000 persons are missing is itself anindication that government has no control over the law enforcementauthorities and furthermore, has no intention to initiate any probein the affairs of state intelligence agencies particularly the I.S.I.The former interior minister in the cabinet of ex-president Musharraftold the national assembly in December 2005 that 4000 persons havebeen arrested in Balochistan province. However, nationalists andhuman rights organizations of the province claim that not more than100 persons have been produced before any court. This is nothing lessthan a gross violation of human rights by the state that allows itsauthorities to place its people at the mercy of the intelligenceagencies. The people, who were released after several months incommunicadotestified before the courts and media that they were arrested by thepolice and were handed over to intelligence agencies who kept them inmilitary torture cells and tortured them to obtain confessionalstatements that they were involved in the anti state activities.Please see the links, UA-171-2006, UP-001-2007, UA-413-2006,http://www.ahrchk.net/ua/mainfile.php/2006/2012/. The two persons,Dr. Safdar Sarki, the nationalist leader of the Sindh province andMr. Muneer Mengal, managing editor of a television channel, werereleased during the first quarter of this year after they had beenmissing for more than a year. They were dumped by the intelligenceagencies on the roadside with torture injuries. Amazingly,immediately after they were thrown on the roadside the police cameand arrested them on several criminal charges. The minister in charge has not given any indication of the fate of atleast 1102 persons which are according to him, are missing. He was shyto point out that the missing persons are in the custody of lawenforcement agencies. He knows the fact that if he works for therecovery of the missing persons he may be removed as minister andwould face the same fate as the deposed Chief Justice Mr. IftekharChoudry. The chief justice during 2006 and 2007 started taking thecases of missing persons and because of his strong efforts about 110persons were released from the captivity of intelligence agencies whodumped the missing persons on the street in remote areas. 52 torture centres: The Asian Human Rights Commission, in its report AHRC-STM-158-2008,dated June 5, 2008, has mentioned that Pakistan army is running is atleast 52 torture and detention centres through out the country wherethe people are kept in incommunicado for several months and tortureseverely and so many killed or disabled for life. The authoritieshave done nothing to investigate these cells. Every cantonment areahas at least one torture cell which is directly run by the stateintelligence agency. The government must demand that the illegaldetention and torture centres be shut down and instigate enquiries. Dr. Afia Siddiqui case: Dr. Afia Siddiqui, a Pakistani female scientist, was kept almost 5years in incommunicado by the Pakistani and US authorities indifferent torture cells of Pakistan and Afghanistan. The case becamevery high profile when the AHRC pointed out that 'prisoner 650' inBagram prison of Afghanistan is the Dr. Afia who is being torturedseverely and not has been provided privacy. She became publicdiscourse for the entire world when the US authorities in New Yorkcame out with the statement that she was arrested on July 18, 2008. This is the ample proof of how Pakistani authorities arrest peopleand disappear them so easily. It has been established that she wasarrested on March 30, 2003 and was officially declared arrested onJuly 2008. If she was arrested by the Afghani police on the chargesof attacking American officers then why was she produced before theNew York court? The whole story is about a covert operation under thename of the 'war on terror'. The whereabouts of her 2 children remainunknown Northern parts of the country: Since the war on terror the disappearances after the arrests arecommon in North Western Frontier Province (NWFP) where NATO andPakistani forces are engaged in their fight but the ordinary peopleparticularly religious ones are the main target of disappearances.Both the forces, Pakistani and militant fundamentalists are arrestingpeople and taking them to secret places after that the whereabouts ofthe victims are unknown. Militants are generally killing them butPakistani authorities are engaged in keeping in incommunicado.Pakistani authorities can not overpower the kidnap and abduction bythe militants as they are themselves involved in the same practices.When any missing persons is released by the Pakistani law enforcementagencies he joins the militants and start the same method what hefaced during illegal detention. In the NWFP more than 2000 personsare missing including some officers from Pakistani army. The Asian Human Rights Commission urges upon the government that, atleast, gets the release of 1102 missing people from Balochistanprovince about whom the Advisor of prime minister on Interior affairshas himself pointed out during his recently visit to the province.This the duty of the government when it knows about the fact thatpeople in hundreds of numbers are missing than it should make thearrangement of their release as it is well known fact the most of thepeople in Balochistan are abducted by the state intelligence agenciesand are kept in incommunicado in the military's torture cells, all inthe cantonment areas of the country. The government should also makeit sure about their safety and pay the compensation to them.The government should also immediately work to ensure the safety ofthe lives and the release of Dr. Afia's two sons who have beenmissing since March 2003. The third nine years old child of Dr. AfiaSiddiqui who is in prison in Afghanistan prison must be returned toPakistan. It should not be necessary to point out that the arrest anddetention of a nine-year-old is an abomination and those responsiblemust be dealt with to the fullest extent of the law. # # # About AHRC: The Asian Human Rights Commission is a regionalnon-governmental organisation monitoring and lobbying human rightsissues in Asia. The Hong Kong-based group was founded in 1984.