Dear friends,
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) strongly condemns the arbitrary arrest and detention of eight women and their children as hostages by police, in order to secure one man from the same family who was allegedly involved in abduction of a government official on November 24. Police have so far refused to disclose their whereabouts. From the past experience, there are high possibilities for the police to torture or sexually harass them.
CASE DETAILS:
According to the information received, police from four districts of Sindh province arrested eight women along with their children on the suspicion that a young man from the same family was reportedly involved in the abduction of a district health officer. The whereabouts of four minors who ran away during the police raid is unknown.
Deputy Inspector General of Police, Hyderabad, Sindh province refused to provide information about them. One of the relatives said that police are demanding the surrender of the suspected dacoit in exchange for the women along with their children. The relatives also claimed that four children were also missing after they ran away during the police raid.
On November 28, Mr. Ghulam Nabi Menon, the District Police Officer (DPO) said that the police do not want to disclose the whereabouts of the women and children, or details of the charges under which they are being held in police custody.
The AHRC has reported this case as a statement (AHRC-STM-303-2008), but no action has yet been taken.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
Dr. Abdul Jalil Bachani, Executive District Officer of the Health Ministry, was abducted by a group of dacoits on November 23 from the jurisdiction of Hotri police station, Hyderabad, while he was proceeding to his new duties at Tando Allah Yar, Sindh.
The dacoits were chased by the police and there was an encounter at Nawab Shah, 200 kilometers from Hyderabad. One dacoit was killed and during the encounter police officers saw one young person, Haji Wakil, 18, among the dacoits. The police were unable to capture the dacoits and all but one, who was killed, fled the scene.
On November 24, at night, police from four districts, Hyderabad, Jam Shoro, Tando Allah Yar and Nawab Shah, raided the houses at Haji Khair Mohammad Khokhar village, Tando Allah yar, in 17 police-heavy vehicles and started arresting women with their children. The police officers informed them that owing to the arrests of the girls and young women, the dacoit will be forced to surrender to the police. The police also brought six trucks along and confiscated 30 buffalos and goats. The officers also searched the houses and took gold ornaments and crockery.
Dr. Abdul Jalil Bachani is the brother of one Mr. Sattar Bachani, a provincial leader of the Pakistan People’s Party, the ruling party of which he was also a former minister. It is reported that for this reason, the provincial government is under pressure from the government to recover the abductees.
SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please write a letter to government authorities listed below, urging them to release all the women and children who were taken by Sindh police and made hostages in order to secure the arrest of one suspected dacoit.
Please be informed that the AHRC has also sent a separate letter to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and Special Rapporteur on the Question of Torture calling for intervention in this matter.
To support this case, please click here: SEND APPEAL LETTER
SAMPLE LETTER
Dear ________,
PAKISTAN: Eight women and their children taken as hostages by police are at risk of torture and sexual harassment
Names of victims:
1. Imam Zadi (63), mother of Mr. Hadi Bux, student of third year of IT of Sindh University, Jam Shoro,
2. Miss Lateefan (21), unmarried
3. Ms. Shamima (28), along with her eight month child
4. Ms. Allah Wasai (24), along with her 14-month-old baby
5. Husna (28), wife of Wazir Ali along with her 6 year-old girl
6. Huwa (28) along with her 12-months-old baby
7. Miss Sadori (20), unmarried
8. Miss Mir Zadi (22), unmarried
Four children missing: (Police allegedly took them when they raided the village)
1. Master Abdul Malik (8)
2. Master Abdul Quddus (6) sons of Mr. Mohammad Hassan
3. Master Mohammad Aslam (12)
4. Master Abdul Khalid sons of Mohammad Hussain
(All are residents Khair Mohammad Khokhar Goth (village) Tando Allah Yar, Sindh province)
Names of police officers in charge of:
1. Mr. Sana Ullah Abbasi, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Hyderabad Range,
Sindh Province
2. Mr. Ghulam Nabi Memon, District Police Officer, Hyderabad District Sindh province
3. District Police Officer, Nawab Shah, Sindh province
Date of incident: 24 November 2008
I am writing to express my deep concern regarding the arbitrary arrest and detention of 12 persons as hostages by police.
According to the information received, police from four districts of Sindh province arbitrarily arrested eight women and four children on November 24 for the reason that one young man from the same family was allegedly involved in the abduction of Dr. Abdul Jalil Bachani, Executive District Officer of the Health Ministry.
After the arrest, however, the police have not disclosed their whereabouts. According to one relative, the police demanded the surrender of the suspect in the abduction of Dr. Abdul Jalil Bachani, in exchange for the women along with their children. Four minors who ran away have also gone missing after the police raided the village. According to eye-witnesses, the police took them.
I urge you to immediately bring all of the arrestees to court so that everyone is secured. I also urge you to ensure their access to a lawyer and that they are not subjected to ill-treatment or torture by police during their detention. I further urge you to look into this case so that the police who arbitrarily arrested and detained without court order are properly prosecuted and punished.
It is the duty of the judiciary to decide whether or not to arrest or detain a person, but not the police. In this regards, I finally urge you to take the necessary steps to secure their release, as a matter of priority, in order for them not to be ill-treated or tortured by police.
I hope you will take needful action in this regard and make sure the urgent release of the women before they are maltreated by police.
Yours sincerely,
—-
PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS TO:
1. Mr. Asif Ali Zardari
President
President’s Secretariat
Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 51 922 1422, 4768 / 920 1893 or 1835
2. Mr. Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani
Prime minister of Pakistan
Prime Minister House
Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 51 9221596
Tel: +92 51 9206111
E-mail: webmaster@infopak.gov.pk
3. Mr. Rehman Malik
Advisor for Ministry of Interior
Room No. 404, 4th Floor, R Block,
Pak Secretariat
Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 51 920 2624
Tel: +92 51 921 2026
E-mail: minister@interior.gov.pk
4. Dr. Ishrat-ul-Ebad Khan
Governor of Sindh province
Karachi, Sindh Province
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 21 920 5043
Tel: +92 21 920 1201
E-mail: governor@governorsindh.gov.pk
5. Syed Qaim Ali Shah
Chief Minister House
Karachi, Sindh Province
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 21 920 2000
E-mail: pppsindh@yahoo.com
6. Chief Justice of Sindh High Court
High Court Building
Saddar, Karachi
Sindh Province
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 21 9213220
E-mail: info@sindhhighcourt.gov.pk
7. Ms. Nadia Gabol
Minister for Human Rights
Government of Sindh,
Pakistan secretariat, Barrack 92,
Karachi, Sindh Province
PAKISTAN
Tel: +92 21 9207043
Fax: +92 21 9207044
E-mail: lukshmil@yahoo.com
8. Secretary
(Criminal Prosecution) SGA &CD Department
Government of Sindh
Sindh Secretariat,
Karachi, Sindh Province
PAKISTAN
Tel: +92 21 9213327-6
Fax: +92 21 9213873
E-mail: secy.cpsd@sindh.gov.pk
9. Dr. Zulfiqar Ali Mirza
Minister for Home
Government of Sindh
Barrack 79, Pakistan Secretariate
Near MPA hostel
Karachi, Sindh Province
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 21 9204456
Tel: +92 21 9201920-1
E-mail: secy.home@sindh.gov.pk
Thank you.
Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission (ua@ahrchk.org)
