ISLAMABAD, June 19: Pakistan is flouting its own laws and violating human rights by arresting and deporting hundreds of people in pursuit of the US-led war on terrorism, Amnesty International said on Wednesday.
The South Asian power is making arbitrary arrests and sending suspects back to their home countries to face possible torture and execution, the London-based rights group said.
“The rule of law has been swept aside. Detainees are not treated in accordance with either Pakistani or international law. Human rights protection has been thrown out of the window,” said a statement monitored here.
“Who is being held where is unknown. Detainees are cut off from family and lawyers and there are no official notices.”
Islamabad is a firm ally of the American-led war against terrorism and US and Pakistani troops are currently patrolling areas bordering Afghanistan, although information on arrests is scarce.
“Pakistan is one of many countries which has been sacrificing human rights in the name of security since Sept 11,” the Amnesty statement added.
“There should be no compromise between security and human rights because you cannot have one without the other.”
The United States has also been accused of violating the rights of prisoners held at its base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, following its assault on Afghanistan sparked by the Sept 11 terrorist attacks.—AFP
