HYDERABAD, Feb 23: Fundamental rights of the people should be protected and scientific methods be used in evidence collection to keep police officials away from employing torture tactics in investigation of cases.

This was observed by speakers at a seminar on human rights and policing held at the Sindh Museum on Monday. The seminar was organized by the police in collaboration with the Ministry of Law, Justice and Human Rights.

The speakers urged police officers not to issue directives which were not in accordance with fundamental rights. The Sindh additional inspector general of police, Asad Jehangir, urged the police authorities to build an organization to discourage the misuse of force.

He said there was a need to train the police in new methods by using forensic aid for the purpose of evidence collection. This would discourage the employing of torture in investigation, he added.

Proposing 10 points aimed at improving human rights practices and the police record, the AIGP said changes should be brought about in policing to make it more effective and before recruitment of policemen, their capability of upholding human rights should be determined.

In his speech on human rights, international covenants and practices, National Institute of Public Administration chief instructor Niaz Ahmad Siddiqi said the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948, had safeguarded rights of different segments of society.

He said the police were judged by their behaviour and not by killing of gangsters. He said directives which were in conflict with fundamental rights should be considered void and those obeying these orders should be deemed offenders, adding that the police must try to collect irrefutable evidence for their investigation.

Mr Siddiqi maintained that unprofessional policemen were worse than bandits. He said Jirgas worked more than the police as they hand down compensation-based verdicts.

Speaking on honour killings: causes and remedies, Atia Dawood recalled how the police acted in different cases, including those of Humera and Shaista Almani. She said police officials often hoodwinked human rights activists.

Shireen Niaz of the Save the Children called for making the country's child laws conform to the Child Rights Conventions. The DIGP, training and inspection, Saud Ahmad, said 45 custodial deaths were reported in the country in 2000.

He said custodial killings were the result of torture by the police on detainees, suicides by detainees and non-availability of drugs to them. He claimed that pressure of early disposal of cases forced the police to resort to torture tactics.

Viqarunnisa Hashmi quoted different verdicts of courts in honour killing cases and urged judiciary to treat such cases as murders. Human Rights Commission of Pakistan's Rochi Ram, Sindh chief minister's inspection team chairman Nazar Mahar and others also spoke on the occasion.