Beranda / News / Urgent Appeals / PAKISTAN: The former Ambassador to the United States faces death threats from the military and intelligence agencies -- the civilian government has shown its inability to rein in the powerful institutions

PAKISTAN: The former Ambassador to the United States faces death threats from the military and intelligence agencies -- the civilian government has shown its inability to rein in the powerful institutions

January 16, 2012

ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION - URGENT APPEALS PROGRAMME

Urgent Appeal Case: AHRC-UAC-002-2012

16 January 2012
---------------------------------------------------------------------
PAKISTAN: The former Ambassador to the United States faces death threats from the military and intelligence agencies -- the civilian government has shown its inability to rein in the powerful institutions

ISSUES: Threat to life; freedom of movement; freedom of expression; impunity 
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding various threats, including death threats, to the former ambassador of Pakistan to the United States of America. He is under virtual house arrest as his movements are restricted not only by the military intelligence agencies but also by the Supreme Court of Pakistan through an order in a case where the court, without granting him an audience, gave instructions that he cannot go abroad without the permission of the court. His passport and other official documents were confiscated by the security agencies upon his arrival from the US. A smear campaign against him has been generated by the military-friendly media maligning him as an enemy of the country and anti-security establishment. The Ambassador in an interview to a London based newspaper revealed information of the threats to his life from the security agencies.

His wife has requested the US administration to take action to protect his life. She is apprehensive that during the judicial inquiry he would be assassinated by those who are familiar with the state intelligence agencies.

The former Ambassador has been provided temporary shelter in the Prime Minister's house but his life is always at risk as, within the last year, two government personalities, a governor and a Christian federal minister were assassinated by Muslim fundamentalist groups who enjoy support and training from the military. The Prime Minister himself feels insecure due to the action of the military establishment and has expressed this on many occasions.

CASE NARRATIVE:

Mr. Hussain Haqqani, the former Ambassador of Pakistan to the United States of America from April 2008 to November 2011, a professor at Boston University, USA, and Co- Chair of the Hudson Institute's Project on the Future of the Muslim World as well as editor of the journal Current Trends in Islamist Thought published from Washington DC, is facing death threats. Former Ambassador Haqqani is living under virtual house arrest in Pakistan. The security agencies confiscated his passport and the judiciary, under pressure from the military, has restricted him from travelling outside the country.

AHRC-UAC-002-2012-01.jpg

Haqqani's travails began after it was alleged that he had initiated a letter to the Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, following the US military action inside Pakistan in which Osama Bin Laden was killed. The letter reportedly asked for American intervention in Pakistan in order to forestall a military coup. The resignation of Hussain Haqqani highlighted tensions between the country's nominal civilian government and the army, which has ruled Pakistan for most of its 64 year history. The memo was made public in October, 2011 by a Pakistani American businessman who claimed to have received it from Haqqani and, following his instructions, passed it to Mullen through an intermediary. He claimed that Haqqani assured him that Zardari had approved the memo.

The memo accuses army chief, General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani of plotting to bring down the government in the aftermath of the Bin Laden raid, which most Pakistanis considered a humiliating violation of their sovereignty by U.S. Navy SEALs. It asks Mullen for his "direct intervention" with Kayani to prevent a coup.

Former Ambassador Haqqani vehemently denies these allegations, yet honorably offered to resign his position and return to Pakistan to clear his name and answer any questions. He acted in good faith, but Pakistan's military-judicial establishment and the country's anti-American media have ''convicted him'' in the court of public opinion, without the benefit of a hearing.

The Supreme Court of Pakistan, which claims to be an independent judiciary, played a dubious role in tackling the issue of the so-called 'Memo Case' issue by showing its tilt towards the military establishment and without listening to the affected party and put the name of Haqqani in the exit control list to stop his right of freedom of expression and movement. But later, when civil society criticized the decision of the Supreme Court and it was challenged by his lawyer the chief justice took back his previous decision and made the change that the Ambassador cannot leave the country without prior permission from the court.

Pakistan’s Supreme Court, rather than asserting the law of the land and its responsibility as the court of last resort, has instead trampled over former Ambassador Haqqani’s fundamental, legal and human rights. It has forced his counsel, former UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights, Ms. Asma Jahangir to withdraw her representation of Haqqani, citing her lack of confidence in the judicial commission.

"The case against Haqqani follows an ominous trend in Pakistan. The assassinations of Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer, Minister for Minority Affairs Shahbaz Bhatti, and journalist Syed Saleem Shahzad this past year have created a culture of intimidation and fear that is stifling efforts to promote a more tolerant and democratic society. Significant segments of the Pakistani media have already judged Haqqani to be guilty of treason, which could inspire religious extremists to take the law into their own hands as they did with Taseer and Bhatti."

Haqqani told the London Telegraph that his life is threatened by Jihadi terrorists as well as those elements within Pakistan's military establishment which have been instrumental in effectuating the assassinations of many leading politicians and journalists which, in the words of Journalists without Borders, makes Pakistan the most dangerous place on earth.

The US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, has also appealed to authorities in Pakistan to provide security to Ambassador Haqqani but because of the hype created against the US in Pakistan by the military and its establishment, any statements from US officials in favour of Haqqani would also put his life in danger.

On November 22, 2011, an official meeting took place at the Prime Minister's House in Islamabad between President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani, Chief of Army Staff Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, Director General of the ISI Ahmad Shuja Pasha, and Ambassador Haqqani over the affairs of the alleged memorandum. Soon after, Haqqani tendered his resignation, which was duly accepted by the prime minister. To the media outlets and the general public in Pakistan, this came as no surprise, but was rather the expected outcome of the planned meeting.

President Asif Ali Zardari termed the allegations as "a conspiracy against the Zardari government", further stating that he did not need intermediaries to convey messages since he had "direct access" to the president of the United States.

Haqqani's wife, Farahnaz Ispahani who is a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan denied the ambassador was the author of the Mullen memo or that he had sent the memo over to Mansoor.

Hussain Haqqani refuted the BlackBerry Messenger email chain that was made public by Mansoor Ijaz stating that the message were likely a forgery. In the aftermath of the scandal however, Haqqani offered to resign from his position as Pakistani ambassador to the US. After returning home to Pakistan, and meeting with the president, prime minister, chief of army staff, and the DG ISI, he tendered his resignation which was immediately accepted by the PM.

The ISI's involvement is visible in the trap laid for the ambassador in order to eliminate him from the scene in that its head, Lieutenant General Shuja Pasha, visited London and investigated the case himself by intimidating Mansoor Ijaz, the writer of the Memo, to place the blame on the Ambassador. The ISI chief went to London on his own self without taking permission from his boss, the Prime Minister of Pakistan. The man's arrogance is such that that he filed the affidavit to the Supreme Court without consulting the government in an effort to show his own superiority over the civilian law.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

The military in Pakistan ruled the country most of the periods of its 64 year history and has never allowed the civilians to rule for their constitutional period. The military establishment was never happy after severe criticism on its performance for not caring the security of the country in the events of US Marines attack on the hide out of Osama Bin Laden, the terrorists attack on Mehran Naval base and even on the attack of General Head Quarters of Pakistan army. To divert the severe criticism from the Pakistani masses the army and ISI raised the issue of Memo case which was written by an anti-Pakistani sitting in the US. In an effort to declare the ''enemy's enemy is our policy'' the military establishment framed a case against Ambassador Haqqani to destabilise the civilian setup.

The US-Pakistan relationship was at an all-time low before the assault on Osama bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad on May 2, 2011. Civilians and the media blamed the Pakistani armed forces for being unable to locate Bin Laden's whereabouts and further criticized them for letting the United States to conduct a unilateral operation on Pakistani soil, thereby prompting a furor over violations of Pakistani sovereignty by the United States.

SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please write the letters to the authorities given below to provide official protection to the former Ambassador to USA, Mr. Hussain Haqqani and instruct the state intelligence agencies to involve in civilian matters without permission from their boss, the Prime Minister. Please urge the authorities to ensure the safety of Ambassador Haqqani's wife, currently in the US. She is constantly followed by ISI agents working inside America. She should have the ability to live in USA free from intimidation and threats. The civilian government should prosecute the Director General of ISI who is operating on his own without the permission from Prime Minister.

The AHRC is writing a separate letter to the UN Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression calling for his intervention into this matter.

To support this appeal, please click here:

SAMPLE LETTER:

Dear ___________,

PAKISTAN: The former Ambassador to the United States faces death threats from the military and intelligence agencies -- the civilian government has shown its inability to rein in the powerful institutions

Name of victim: Mr. Hussain Haqqani, former Ambassador to USA and professor at Boston University, resident of Prime Minister House, Islamabad
Name of alleged perpetrators: Lieutenant General Shuja Pasha, director general Inter services Intelligence, based Islamabad
Date of incident: 22 November 2011
Place of incident: Islamabad, capital of Pakistan

I am writing to voice my deep concern regarding life security of Mr. Hussain Haqqani, former Ambassador to the United States of America.

I am shocked to know that Mr. Haqqani is facing threats to his life by the state intelligence agencies and fundamentalist groups, who have good support from the security establishment. Mr. Haqqani has expressed his concerns about the threats to his life to the London Telegraph and pointed out he would be assassinated like the former governor of Punjab province and a former federal minister on minority affairs.

The former Ambassador has been provided temporary shelter in Prime Minister's House but government has failed to provide him protection from the state intelligence agencies and their cronies, the Muslim armed groups which are operating openly their nefarious designs by killing high profile personalities.

I was also informed that the case against Haqqani follows an ominous trend in Pakistan. The assassinations of Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer, Minister for Minority Affairs Shahbaz Bhatti, and journalist Syed Saleem Shahzad this past year have created a culture of intimidation and fear that is stifling efforts to promote a more tolerant and democratic society. Significant segments of the Pakistani media have already judged Haqqani to be guilty of treason, which could inspire religious extremists to take the law into their own hands as they did with Taseer and Bhatti.

I am also concerned that his wife Farahnaz Ispahani, when finding no protection of his husband's life, went to the United States and asked help from the USA authorities which is very serious view on the security affairs in Pakistan and it has given an impression that civilians have no contro on the security issues and all rest on the whims of military and its intelligence agencies.

It is shocking for me that the Ambassador's wife is constantly followed by ISI agents working inside America. She should have the ability to live in USA free from intimidation and threats.
I was informed that the ISI's involvement is visible in the trap laid for the ambassador in order to eliminate him from the scene in that its head, Lieutenant General Shuja Pasha, visited London and investigated the case himself by intimidating Mansoor Ijaz, the writer of the Memo, to place the blame on the Ambassador. The ISI chief went to London on his own self without taking permission from his boss, the Prime Minister of Pakistan. The man's arrogance is such that that he filed the affidavit to the Supreme Court without consulting the government in an effort to show his own superiority over the civilian law.

I therefore urge you to prosecute the Director General of ISI, Mr. Shuja Pasha, who is operating on his own without the permission of the Prime Minister for continuously using his offices for intimidating and coercing Hussain Haqqani during the court trial of the Memo case. Mr. Haqqani must be provided protection and the government should take action against the ISI officials and fundamentalists groups for threatening him.

The threats to his life and restrictions on his free movement is against the fundamental rights of an individual and also against the articles 15 and 19 of the constitution of Pakistan. It is also against the article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) which is ratified by the Pakistan and under its obligations government has to ensure the freedom of expression and movement to Mr. Haqqani. Sadly it is the very institutions which should be providing protection, the armed forces and the ISI, which are the cause of the threats to his life.

Yours sincerely,

----------------
PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS TO:

1.Mr. Asif Ali Zardari
President
President's Secretariat
Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Tel:+ 92-51-9204801-9214171
Fax: + 92-51-9207458
Email: publicmail@president.gov.pk

2. Mr. Yousuf Raza Gillani
Prime Minister
Prime Minister House
Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 51 922 1596
Tel: +92 51 920 6111
E-mail: secretary@cabinet.gov.pk

3.General Ashfaq Pervez Kiyani,
Chief of Army Staff,
Inter Services Public Relations, Pakistan
Hilal Road, Rawalpindi, Postal Code: 46000
PAKISTAN
Phone: +92-51-9271605,
Fax: +92-51-9271601,
Email: ispr@ispr.gov.pk

4. Mr. Moula Bakhsh Chandio
Minister for Law, Justice
and Parliamentary Affairs
Ministry of Law, Justice
and Parliamentary Affairs
Islamabad, Pakistan
E-Mail: minister@molaw.gov.pk

5. Federal Minister for Human Rights
Ministry of Human Rights
Old US Aid building
Ata Turk Avenue
G-5, Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 51 9204108
Email: sarfaraz_yousuf@yahoo.com

6. Dr. Faqir Hussain
Registrar
Supreme Court of Pakistan
Constitution Avenue, Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: + 92 51 9213452
E-mail: mail@supremecourt.gov.pk

7. Mr. Rehman Malik
Minister for Interior
R Block Pak Secretariat
Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Tel: +92 51 9212026 +92 51 9212026
Fax: +92 51 9202624
E-mail: ministry.interior@gmail.com or interior.complaintcell@gmail.com


Thank you.

Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission (ua@ahrc.asia)

Document Type :
Urgent Appeal Case
Document ID :
AHRC-UAC-002-2012
Countries :
Issues :
Aksi-aksi Dokumen
Share |
Subscribe to our Mailing List
Follow AHRC
Extended Introduction: Urgent Appeals, theory and practice

A need for dialogue

Many people across Asia are frustrated by the widespread lack of respect for human rights in their countries.  Some may be unhappy about the limitations on the freedom of expression or restrictions on privacy, while some are affected by police brutality and military killings.  Many others are frustrated with the absence of rights on labour issues, the environment, gender and the like. 

Yet the expression of this frustration tends to stay firmly in the private sphere.  People complain among friends and family and within their social circles, but often on a low profile basis. This kind of public discourse is not usually an effective measure of the situation in a country because it is so hard to monitor. 

Though the media may cover the issues in a broad manner they rarely broadcast the private fears and anxieties of the average person.  And along with censorship – a common blight in Asia – there is also often a conscious attempt in the media to reflect a positive or at least sober mood at home, where expressions of domestic malcontent are discouraged as unfashionably unpatriotic. Talking about issues like torture is rarely encouraged in the public realm.

There may also be unwritten, possibly unconscious social taboos that stop the public reflection of private grievances.  Where authoritarian control is tight, sophisticated strategies are put into play by equally sophisticated media practices to keep complaints out of the public space, sometimes very subtly.  In other places an inner consensus is influenced by the privileged section of a society, which can control social expression of those less fortunate.  Moral and ethical qualms can also be an obstacle.

In this way, causes for complaint go unaddressed, un-discussed and unresolved and oppression in its many forms, self perpetuates.  For any action to arise out of private frustration, people need ways to get these issues into the public sphere.

Changing society

In the past bridging this gap was a formidable task; it relied on channels of public expression that required money and were therefore controlled by investors.  Printing presses were expensive, which blocked the gate to expression to anyone without money.  Except in times of revolution the media in Asia has tended to serve the well-off and sideline or misrepresent the poor.

Still, thanks to the IT revolution it is now possible to communicate with large audiences at little cost.  In this situation there is a real avenue for taking issues from private to public, regardless of the class or caste of the individual.

Practical action

The AHRC Urgent Appeals system was created to give a voice to those affected by human rights violations, and by doing so, to create a network of support and open avenues for action.  If X’s freedom of expression is denied, if Y is tortured by someone in power or if Z finds his or her labour rights abused, the incident can be swiftly and effectively broadcast and dealt with. The resulting solidarity can lead to action, resolution and change. And as more people understand their rights and follow suit, as the human rights consciousness grows, change happens faster. The Internet has become one of the human rights community’s most powerful tools.   

At the core of the Urgent Appeals Program is the recording of human rights violations at a grass roots level with objectivity, sympathy and competence. Our information is firstly gathered on the ground, close to the victim of the violation, and is then broadcast by a team of advocates, who can apply decades of experience in the field and a working knowledge of the international human rights arena. The flow of information – due to domestic restrictions – often goes from the source and out to the international community via our program, which then builds a pressure for action that steadily makes its way back to the source through his or her own government.   However these cases in bulk create a narrative – and this is most important aspect of our program. As noted by Sri Lankan human rights lawyer and director of the Asian Human Rights Commission, Basil Fernando:

"The urgent appeal introduces narrative as the driving force for social change. This idea was well expressed in the film Amistad, regarding the issue of slavery. The old man in the film, former president and lawyer, states that to resolve this historical problem it is very essential to know the narrative of the people. It was on this basis that a court case is conducted later. The AHRC establishes the narrative of human rights violations through the urgent appeals. If the narrative is right, the organisation will be doing all right."

Patterns start to emerge as violations are documented across the continent, allowing us to take a more authoritative, systemic response, and to pinpoint the systems within each country that are breaking down. This way we are able to discover and explain why and how violations take place, and how they can most effectively be addressed. On this path, larger audiences have opened up to us and become involved: international NGOs and think tanks, national human rights commissions and United Nations bodies.  The program and its coordinators have become a well-used tool for the international media and for human rights education programs. All this helps pave the way for radical reforms to improve, protect and to promote human rights in the region.