PAKISTAN:

 Four Persons Missing including a Political Activist and a Journalist in Balochistan

[NOTICE: The AHRC have developed a new automatic letter-sending system using the "button" below. However, in this appeal, we could not include e-mail addresses of some of the Pakistan authorities. We encourage you to send your appeal letters via fax or post to those people. Fax numbers and postal addresses of the Pakistan authorities are attached below with this appeal. Thank you.]

URGENT ACTION URGENT ACTION URGENT ACTION URGENT ACTION

ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION – URGENT APPEALS PROGRAMME

Urgent Appeal

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PAKISTAN:

Disappearance; Arbitrary Arrest; Absence of Rule of Law; Excessive use of Force against Civilians

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Dear Friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission received information from several reliable sources in Pakistan that four people including a political activist and a journalist from Balochistan have been missing since they were arrested on 4 and 8 April 2007 respectively. It has been reported that the family members of the victims are worried about their safety and security. They are apprehensive that if the missing victims have been detained by the law enforcement agency they will be under threat of torture. Since 2001 a large number of victims have disappeared after military operations started in the area.

CASE DETAILS:

According to the information we have received, Mr. Rafiq Khoso, a prominent political activist who is also a member of the organizing committee of the Jamhoori Watan Party, was heading for a bus station in Jacobabad to get a bus to Karachi for a meeting of the party's central committee on 4 April 2007.

When Mr. Rafiq Khoso walked to the bus stop, several unidentified peoples in plain clothes approached to him and told him to accompany them to the hospital where one of his family members has been admitted due to sudden serious illness. Mr. Rafiq Khoso doubted the veracity of this information as he did not know any of the people who approached him. He therefore refused to go with them. When he did so the unknown persons suddenly grabbed him forcefully, took him to a double cabin jeep and drove away.

After Mr. Rafiq Khoso was abducted, his family lost contact with him completely and could not even reach to his mobile phone. It was after 72 hours had passed when his family received a phone call from a person who identified himself as being from a secret agency and told the victim's brother that Mr Rafiq Khoso has been admitted to Liaquat Hospital in Karachi due to a heart attack. The family members rushed to the said hospital in Karachi, however, they could not find Mr. Rafiq Khoso. In fact there no such person as Mr. Rafiq Khos had been admitted to the hospital.

Greatly disappointed the family of Mr. Rafiq Khoso lodged a complaint to the Sindh High court, Larkana circuit bench, Larkana-Sindh province over the disappearance of the victim. According to the information, the brother of the victim, Mr. Fida Hussain Khoso, who is a petitioner of this case to the court, stated his anxiety that the victim might have been abducted by several law enforcement officers in plain clothes at the office of the Blue Line Coach which is the bus service the victim was going to take to Karachi for the meeting. He further noted that the victim has been strongly opposing the military operation in Balochistan and supporting many of political victims and illegal detainees of the military authorities.

It has been further reported that the circuit bench of the high court issued notices to the Federal Secretary of Defence, Sindh provincial home secretary, the Inspector general of police and the district police officer of Jacobabad regarding this case. 

In another incident, Mr. Abdul Razzaq Gul, a journalist and a bureau reporter of Daily Tawar at Turbat city of Balochistan province was arrested by the police on 8 April 2007 after his office was raided by the police that came in two jeeps accompanied by several people in plain clothes who came in two private cars.

At that time, two student activists, Mr. Shabbir Jan Rind and Mr. Bashir Rind, were present at the raided office and they were also taken by the police and persons in plain clothes without being told of the reason for reasons or being shown any official warrant. The people who were present outside the office resisted and tried to stop the police taking the three victims, however, the police responded with batons and pointed guns at the crowd. When family members contacted the police station of Turbat, they were told that the three victims have been taken by members of a secret agency of the military on the suspicion of anti state activities and for being allegedly involved in the Balochistan Liberation Organisation.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

Forced abduction and arbitrary arrest are recurrent human rights violations in Pakistan. The AHRC has reported cases of such incidents in past Urgent Appeals. For further information about the cases, please see UA-074-2007.

Balochistan province has been the scene of heavy military operations since 2001. It has been alleged that more than 3000 persons have been killed due to this operation. The military government wants to construct several cantonments in Balochistan. However, there is serious resistance to this among the residents in the area.

Several districts in the province had been bombed by F16 jets of the  Pakistan Air Force. A former governor of the province and a chief minister of the province have died with several other important persons in a series of aerial bombings in past years. More than 200,000 people have been displaced and have had to move to shelters in different districts of Balochistan due to the bombardments. 

More than 4000 people have also disappeared after their arrests, allegedly by law enforcement agencies, particularly by military intelligence and the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI). The Federal interior minister stated before the national assembly of Pakistan on December 5, 2005 that more than 4000 persons had been arrested from Balochistan province due to their involvement in anti state activities. However, he did not clearly mention where those arrested persons were being held and why none of them had been produced before the courts for trials.

According to the testimonies of persons who returned after they have been missing for several months and the research conducted by some human rights organizations, it has been revealed that the abducted persons were detained in military camps in different cities. The former detainees have also testified that they have seen many of his friends and their family members who have also been missing for long time. 

SUGGESTED ACTION:

Please write a letter to the authorities listed below urging them to properly investigate the disappearance and arbitrary arrest in this case and bring all the alleged perpetrators to justice without delay. The AHRC will also separately write to UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances and Ms. Hina Jilani, UN Special Representative of the Secretary General for human rights defenders to call for their urgent intervention into this cases.

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Sample letter:

Dear __________,

PAKISTAN: Missing of four persons including a political activist and a journalist in Balochistan

Name of victims:

1. Mr. Rafiq Khoso, a prominent political activist and a member of organizing committee of the Jamhoori Watan Party, resident of Jacobabad city, Sindh province, Pakistan

2. Mr. Abdul Razzaq Gul, a journalist and a bureau reporter of Daily Tawar, Turbat city, Balochistan province

3. Mr. Shabbir Jan Rind, student activist, Baloch Student Organization

4. Mr. Bashir Rind, student activist, Baloch Student Organization

Name of the perpetrators:

1. Unidentified plain clothed persons, who are suspected as government secret agents (relating to the missing of Mr. Rafiq Khoso)

2. Police officers from Tubat police station (relating to the missing of victim 2-4)

3. Members of the secret agency of military (relating to the missing of victim 2-4)

Date of the incident: 4 and 8 April 2007

I am writing to express my deepest concern over the alleged abduction and arbitrary arrest of Mr. Rafiq Khoso, a political activist on 4 April 2007, and Mr. Abdul Razzaq Gul, a journalist and a bureau reporter of Daily Tawar at Turbat city of Balochistan, Mr. Shabbir Jan Rind and Mr. Bashir Rind who both are student activists of the Baloch Student Organization all at one time on 8 April 2007 by police authority. 

According to the information I have received, on 4 April 2007, Mr. Rafiq Khoso, the member of organizing committee of the Jamhoori Watan Party, was abducted by several unidentified persons in plain clothes at the office of the Blue Line Coach (bus company) in Jacobabad when he was heading there to get a bus to Karachi for the meeting of the party's central committee. After 72 hours since his abduction, the family of Mr. Rafiq Khoso received a phone call from a person who identified himself from secret agency and told the victim's brother that Mr Rafiq Khoso has been admitted to Liaquat Hospital in Karachi due to his heart attack. The family members rushed to the said hospital in Karachi, however, they could not find Mr. Rafiq Khoso.

I learned that after Mr. Rafiq Khoso's family lodged a complaint, I learned that the Larkana circuit bench of the Sindh High Court issued notices to the Federal Secretary of Defence, Sindh provincial home secretary, the Inspector general of police and the district police officer of Jacobabad. Mr. Rafiq Khoso's whereabouts remain unknown. Now, his family is gravely concern about his security. The victim has been strongly opposing the military operation in Balochistan and supporting many of political victims and illegal detainees by the military authorities.

I am informed that in a separate incident, Mr. Abdul Razzaq Gul, a journalist and the bureau reporter of Daily Tawar at Turbat city of Balochistan province, was arrested by the police on 8 April 2007 from his office. The incident took place after his office was raided by the police that came by with two police jeeps and several peoples in plain clothes who came in two private cars.

At that time, two student activists, Mr. Shabbir Jan Rind and Mr. Bashir Rind, were also taken by the police without being produced any reasons of arrest and official warranty. When family members contacted the police station of Turbat, they were told that the three victims have been taken by members of the secret agency of military on the suspicion of anti state activities and allegedly involved in Balochistan Liberation Organisation.

I have learned that there are no investigations into both of the above cases initiated by the state authorities yet. I therefore strongly urge the authorities of Pakistan immediate investigation into the above cases of forced abduction and arbitrary arrest. Inaction of the state authorities in such human rights violations would cause further impunity for state authorities. The perpetrators of human rights violations such as in this case should be brought before justice. I also urge you to take all necessary assistance for the victims' family in their course to seek legal remedies of forced abduction of their family members.

Moreover, as far as I am informed, more than 4000 people are also disappeared after their arrests by the law enforcement agencies, particularly by the military intelligence and the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) in Balochistan. To date, whereabouts of most of those arrested are unknown.

Concerning the graveness of the disappearance in Pakistan, especially Balochistan province, I again call on the Government of Pakistan to ensure the following:

1. Establish an effectively mandated independent commission, which will inquire all the allegation of illegal arrests, detention, torture and forced disappearances committed by the military and the police;

2. Immediately ratify the major international covenants and conventions, in particular the International Covenant for Civil and Political Rights, the Convention Against Torture (CAT) and the newly introduced International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, and implement them into domestic laws in order to stop the human rights violations especially torture, illegal detention and abduction by state agents and eradicate all the criminal impunities widely enjoyed by them;

3. Effectively activate the judicial measures regarding cases of torture, forced disappearance and extra-judicial killing allegedly committed by the state agents. 

I look forward your prompt action into this important matter.

Yours sincerely,

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PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTER TO:

1. General Pervez Musharraf
    President
    President's Secretariat
    Islamabad
    PAKISTAN
    Fax: +92 51 922 1422, 4768/ 920 1893 or 1835

    E-mail: Please see:

    http://www.presidentofpakistan.gov.pk/WTPresidentMessage.aspx

2. Mr. Muhammad Wasi Zafar

    Minister of Law, Justice and Human Rights
    S Block Pakistan Secretariat
    Islamabad
    PAKISTAN
    Fax: +92 51 920 2628
    E-Mail: minister@molaw.gov.pk

3. Dr. Faqir Hussan
    Registrar
    Supreme Court of Pakistan
    Constitution Avenue
    Islamabad
    PAKISTAN
    Tel: + 92-51-9213770
    E-mail: registrar@supremecourt.gov.pk

4. Mr. Mohamag Ali Durrani
    Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting
    Government of Pakistan
    Islamabad
    PAKISTAN
    Email: infominister@infopak.gov.pk

5. Mr. Mohammed Humayun
    Secretary of Home Affairs

    Government of Balochistan
    Quetta, Balochistan province
    PAKISTAN
    Fax: +92 81 9201835

6. Mr. K.B. Rind
    Chief Secretary
    Government of Balochistan
    Quetta, Balochistan province
    PAKISTAN
    Fax: +92 81 9202132

7. Mr. Imtiaz Hussain
    Secretary of Law
    Government of Balochistan
    Quetta, Balochistan province
    PAKISTAN
    Fax: +92 81 9201867

8. Dr. Arbab Abdul Rahim
    Chief Minister of Sindh
    Chief Minister House
    Karachi
    PAKISTAN
    Fax: +92 21 9202000

9. Chief Secretary
    Government of Sindh
    Chief Secretariat,
    Karachi, Sindh province,
    PAKISTAN
    Tel: +92 21 921950
    Fax: +92 21 9211946
    Email: cs.sindh@sindh.gov.pk

Thank you.

Urgent Appeals Programme
    Asian Human Rights Commission (ahrchk@ahrchk.org)

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