Home / News / Urgent Appeals / PAKISTAN: Human Rights defenders are at risk of attack after being charged with blasphemy

PAKISTAN: Human Rights defenders are at risk of attack after being charged with blasphemy

August 7, 2012

ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION - URGENT APPEALS PROGRAMME

Urgent Appeal Case: AHRC-UAC-139-2012

7 August 2012

---------------------------------------------------------------------
PAKISTAN: Human Rights defenders are at risk of attack after being charged with blasphemy

ISSUES: Blasphemy; fabricated cases; human rights defenders; intimidation; torture; persecution
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that the local administration of the two districts of Punjab province and the owners of kiln factories are using the accusation of committing blasphemy against a human rights organization and its staff for raising their voices against bonded labour. They are also demanding wage increments in accordance with government announced scales. The executive director, two female staffers and one program officer of the NGO are among those who were implicated in the accusation of blasphemy. One of the kiln owners got his to beat the human rights defenders in the premises of court in the presence of local police and amazingly the police filed a case of attempted murder against the victims. The human rights defenders are charged with converting Muslims to Christianity but the president of the Kiln factories owner has claimed on 31 July, that he has converted 54 Christians workers of its factory to Islam and no case of blasphemy has been initiated by the local administration against him for forcefully converting people to Islam.

It is apprehended that local administrations of two districts and kiln owners will instigate the Muslim fundamentalist groups to attack the human rights defenders who are working for the rights of kiln workers.

CASE NARRATIVE:

Insan Dost Association (IDA) is a human rights organization working for the promotion and protection of the rights of bonded labourers and their families. The kiln factory owners with a nexus to the local administration have implicated IDA and workers from kilns in different criminal cases. When they could not come up with suitable charges they accused the officers from IDA in the blasphemy charging them with converting Christian workers to Islam and using abusive language against the last prophet of Islam (peace be upon him) . Those who have been accused of blasphemy are; Mr. Anjum Raza Mattu, Executive Director IDA, Imran Anjum, (a Christian by faith) Program Officer, Miss Shazia Parveen, Secretary IDA and Miss Najma Khalil, assistant program officer. Before the accusation of blasphemy these people with other staff and kiln workers were implicated in the case of attempted murder after they were beaten by the owners of the kiln and their lawyers including their henchmen in the court premises in the presence of police. During this incident one lady worker, Khadija, suffered fractures to two fingers.

The kiln owners and their association of two districts namely, Pakpattan and Sahiwal, are refusing to implement the wage increase of brick makers which were increased in 2011 by the Punjab Wage board with the rate of Rupees 517 for manufacturing 1000 bricks. The local administrations of both the districts, instead of forcing kiln owners to implement the wage board award, are using tactics of intimidation and coercions. The administrations have filed many cases against the staff of IDA and kiln workers. After seeing that again an increment in the wages, which were announced by the Punjab board in June 2012, from Rupees 517 to Rs 665 per 1000 bricks the administrations are using heavy handed methods against the kiln workers and the IDA.

On 8 June, the blasphemy accusation was been filed against the IDA staff members by kiln owner Mr Javed Iqbal on behalf of another kiln owner, Mr Iftikhar Mohar, the president of Kiln owners association, Pakpattan and Sahiwal districts. The complaint was submitted to the Commissioner of Sahiwal Division in Punjab Province, Mr Qazi Ashfaq Ahmed, who has the power to order the police to register a First Information Report (FIR) against the alleged accused. The IDA staff members could be sentenced to life imprisonment or death if they are found guilty of blasphemy. The IDA has been active in recent years in working to protect the rights of brick kiln workers and has had disagreements with kiln owner Iftikhar Mohar. It is reported that Javed Iqbal, the owner of different kiln factories, has also accused IDA of being involved in anti-government activities and called for the registration certificate of IDA to be revoked.

Front Line Defenders, the Ireland based organization, has also issued one appeal against the accusation of blasphemy against the IDA staffers. On different times the owners have physically abused and implicated the workers and IDA staff in different criminal cases.

On 19 November 2011, Mr Muhammad Munir, a member of the IDA, was attacked by men with sticks and bamboos after he led around 200 workers to call on kiln owners to implement the Punjab Wage Board, a notification which fixed the minimum pay for a kiln worker making 1,000 bricks to 517 Pakistan. The attackers were believed to be associated with kiln owners Mr Haji Iqbal, Mr Khalid Chaudhry, and Mr Iftikhar Mohar.

On 7 January 2012, a fabricated rape case was filed against Muhammad Munir and his wife, and on 2 February, he was arrested by the police before being transferred to Sahiwal District Central Jail on 7 February. Munir was accused of raping a woman of 45 years who is bonded with her husband in the factory of Javed Iqbal and she was used at least in two cases of rape by the owner. The police of Tehsil Arifwala, Pakpattan district also implicated and arrested the wife of Munir in rape case without considering how it is possible for a woman to rape another woman.

On 16 May, Muhammad Munir's wife and four IDA staff were beaten up at Arifwala Tehsil court premises by Iftikhar Mohar and his lawyers while Muhammad Munir was defending himself against the false accusation before the court. Instead of arresting the attackers police on the same date, registered a complaint for attempted murder (FIR 298/12) against human rights defenders Mr Anjum Raza Mattu, Mr Imran Anjum, Ms Khadija Munir, Mr Zeeshan Ali, Mr Rafij Masih, and Ms Bashiran Bibi. On 31 May, Imran Anjum, the program officer of IDA was arrested under this charge and was sent to Sahiwal District Central Jail, Punjab. He was released on bail on 27 June.

On 8 June, Mr. Javed Iqbal and Mr. Iftekhar Mohar, owners of the kiln factories, have filed a case of blasphemy against the above mentioned staff of IDA on the charges of converting Muslims to Christianity. The Commissioner of Sahiwal took the case and started investigations into it and asked the accused persons to be presented on 30 June but again were asked to be there on 9 July. The investigation has been again kept on 27 August before executed district officer (EDO) of the district Sahiwal.

On 31 July, it is reported in the local newspapers of the Punjab that president of Kiln factories owners association, Mr. Iftekhar Mohar, has arranged a big gathering in Qaboola, Pakpattan district where 54 male and female Christians converted to Islam. Mr. Iftekhar announced that by his personal efforts he has converted 54 Christians to Islam. He has yet not been implicated in the case of forced conversion of religion particularly converting the Christian poor workers to Islam who were bonded since decades.

It is apprehended that owners of the kiln factories and local administration will use local Muslim fundamentalist groups against the IDA staff and kiln activists of kiln workers to attack on the IDA offices.

SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please write the letters to the below mentioned authorities calling for providing protection to the staff of Insan Dost Association (IDA), a human rights organization working for the rights of kiln workers who have been made bonded by the owners of the kiln factories. Please urge them to withdraw criminal charges and blasphemy case against the IDA and prosecute the perpetrators for implication the false cases against the victims.

The AHRC writes a separate letter to the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders calling for his intervention into this matter.

To support this appeal, please click here:

SAMPLE LETTER:

Dear ___________,

PAKISTAN: Human Rights Defenders are at risk of attack after being charged with blasphemy

Name of victims:
1. Mr. Anjum Raza Mattu, Executive Director Insan Dost Association (IDA), Muhalla Rajpura behind City CNG Sahiwal District, Punjab province
2. Imran Anjum, (a Christian by faith) Program Officer IDA, Muhalla Rajpura behind City CNG Sahiwal District, Punjab province
3. Miss Shazia Parveen, Secretary IDA, Muhalla Rajpura behind City CNG Sahiwal District, Punjab province
4. Miss Najma Khalil, assistan program officer IDA, Muhalla Rajpura behind City CNG Sahiwal District, Punjab province
5. Zeesahn, driver IDA, Muhalla Rajpura behind City CNG Sahiwal District, Punjab province
6. Mr. Munir, kiln worker, Muhalla Rajpura behind City CNG Sahiwal District, Punjab province
7. Mrs Khadija wife of Munir, kiln worker, Muhalla Rajpura behind City CNG Sahiwal District, Punjab province

Names of alleged perpetrators:
1. Mr. Javed Iqbal owner of kiln factory, Sahiwal,
2. Mr. Iftekhar, president of kiln factories association, Sahiwal and Pakpattan districts, Punjab province
3. Mr. Abbas Daha, owner of kiln factory, Arifwala, Pakpattan district, Punjab province

Date of incident: 8 June 2012
Place of incident: Sahiwal district, Punjab province

I am writing to voice my deep concern regarding the false accusation of blasphemy on the staff of Insan Dost Association, Sahiwal, Punjab province and other activists of kiln workers for raising the wage increments of kiln workers and their basic rights. Before the accusation of blasphemy they were booked in the case of attempt to murder where as they were beaten and seriously injured by the owners of the kiln factories and their lawyers in the court premise in the presence of local police.

It is very shocking for me that instead of providing the legal rights of the kiln workers the local administration of Pakpattan and Sahiwas districts and police are intimidating them and implicating them in the false case cases.

I apprehend that the administration of both the districts and the kiln owners will use or instigate the local Muslim fundamentalist attack and kill the staff of Insan Dost Association (IDA) on the charges of blasphemy as in the past it was the practice of vested interest to use blasphemy for their nefarious designs.

According to the information I have received, on 19 November 2011, Mr Muhammad Munir, a member of the IDA, was attacked by men with sticks and bamboos after he led around 200 workers to call on kiln owners to implement the Punjab Wage Board, a notification which fixed the minimum pay for a kiln worker making 1,000 bricks to 517 Pakistan. The attackers were believed to be associated with kiln owners Mr Haji Iqbal, Mr Khalid Chaudhry, and Mr Iftikhar Mohar.

I have also learned that on 7 January 2012, a fabricated rape case was filed against Muhammad Munir and his wife, and on 2 February, he was arrested by the police before being transferred to Sahiwal District Central Jail on 7 February. Munir was accused of raping a womsn of 45 years who is bonded with her husband in the factory of Javed Iqbal and she was used at least in two cases of rape by the owner. The police of Tehsil Arifwala, Pakpattan district also implicated and arrested the wife of Munir in rape case without considering how it is possible for a woman to rape another woman.

Then, on 16 May, Muhammad Munir's wife and four IDA staff were beaten up at Arifwala Tehsil court premises by Iftikhar Mohar and his lawyers while Muhammad Munir was defending himself against the false accusation before the court. Instead of arresting the attackers police on the same date, registered a complaint for attempted murder (FIR 298/12) against human rights defenders Mr Anjum Raza Mattu, Mr Imran Anjum, Ms Khadija Munir, Mr Zeeshan Ali, Mr Rafij Masih, and Ms Bashiran Bibi. On 31 May, Imran Anjum, the program officer of IDA was arrested under this charge and was sent to Sahiwal District Central Jail, Punjab. He was released on bail on 27 June.

On 8 June, Mr. Javed Iqbal and Mr. Iftekhar Mohar, owners of the kiln factories, have filed a case of blasphemy against the above mentioned staff of IDA on the charges of converting Muslims to Christianity. The Commissioner of Sahiwal took the case and started investigations into it and asked the accused persons to be presented on 30 June but again were asked to be there on 9 July. The investigation has been again kept on 27 August before executed district officer (EDO) of the district Sahiwal.

It is reported in the local newspapers of the Punjab that president of Kiln factories owners association, Mr. Iftekhar Mohar, has arranged a big gathering in Qaboola, Pakpattan district where 54 male and female Christians converted to Islam. Mr. Iftekhar announced that by his personal efforts he has converted 54 Christians to Islam. He has yet not been implicated in the case of forced conversion of religion particularly converting the Christian poor workers to Islam who were bonded since decades.

I am concerned that the owners of the kiln factories and local administration will use local Muslim fundamentalist groups against the IDA staff and kiln activists of kiln workers to attack on the IDA offices.

I, therefore, urge you to take all necessary steps to ensure that the false charges against the human rights workers of attempted murder and blasphemy are dropped and that action is taken against the kiln owners and the police officers who are supporting them. The wages legally due to the kiln workers should be increased accordingly and they should also receive additional wages in back pay for the money they have lost due to the delay in increasing their wages.

Yours sincerely,

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

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

2. Mr. Raja Pervez Ashraf
Prime Minister
Prime Minister House
Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 51 922 1596
Tel: +92 51 920 6111
E-mail: secretary@cabinet.gov.pk or pspm@pmsectt.gov.pk

3. 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: sarfraz_yousuf@yahoo.com

4. Mr. Lateef Khosa
Governor of Punjab
Governor House
Mall Road
Lahore
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 42 99203044
Email: governor.sectt@punjab.gov.pk

5. Mr. Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed
Chief Justice of Punjab Province

Lahore High Court
Shahra-e-Quaid-e-Azam, Lahore
PAKISTAN
Tel: +92 42 99212951-66
Fax: +92 42 99212279
Email: webmasterlhc@lhc.gov.pk

6. Mr. Shahbaz Shareef
Chief Minister
Government of Punjab
Province
Chief Minister
Secretariat
5-Club Road
GOR-I, Lahore, Punnjab
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 42 99205065
Email: cmcomplaintcell@cmpunjab.gov.pk

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


Thank you.

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

Document Type :
Urgent Appeal Case
Document ID :
AHRC-UAC-139-2012
Countries :
Issues :
Document Actions
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.