WASHINGTON, Feb 28: The US State Department blamed Pakistan on Monday for allowing widespread violations of human rights -- ranging from rapes and deaths in police custody to suppression of individual and political rights by the government.

The department's annual human rights report for 2004, released in Washington by Under Secretary for Global Affairs Paula Dobriansky, has a large 14,000-word chapter on Pakistan, reviewing the current political and human rights situation in the country.

The report, which is sent to the US Congress as an official document, calls the 2002 referendum "controversial" and notes that domestic and international observers had also termed the subsequent elections "deeply flawed".

It recalls that in December 2003, the national and provincial assemblies passed the 17th Amendment to the constitution, extending Gen Pervez Musharraf's presidency through 2007, setting the terms under which he could dissolve the national assembly, and exempting him from a prohibition on holding two offices of state until the end of the year.

In October, over opposition protests, parliament passed another bill that exploits a loophole in the constitution to extend the exemption until 2007, the report adds. The report points out that during 2004, the judiciary was nominally independent but remained subject to political pressure.

There were instances when local police acted independently of government authority. Some members of the security forces committed numerous serious human rights abuses.

For the year, Pakistan's population was estimated at approximately 154 million, and gross domestic product growth was estimated at 6.4 per cent. No reliable data exist to compare wages and benefits with inflation; however, there was evidence to suggest growing income inequality. The government's human rights record remained poor; although there were some improvements in several areas, serious problems remained.

Local police used excessive force and committed or failed to prevent extra-judicial killings. Sectarian killings continued to be a problem. Police abused and raped citizens. Prison conditions remained extremely poor, and police arbitrarily arrested and detained citizens.

Some political leaders remained imprisoned or in exile abroad. Case backlogs led to long delays in trials, and lengthy pre-trial detention was common. The judiciary was subject to executive and other outside influence. Corruption and inefficiency remained severe problems.

The government violated due process and infringed on citizens' privacy rights. The press was partly free and in some instances, the government took retaliatory actions against media outlets and journalists; however, media criticism of security forces and the government continued to increase during the year.

The government imposed some limits on freedom of association, religion, and movement. Governmental and societal discrimination against religious minorities remained a problem. Domestic violence against women, rape, and abuse of children remained serious problems.

Honour killings continued; however, new legislation stiffens penalties for honour killings; and criminal procedures for the blasphemy laws and Hudood Ordinances were changed to prevent abuses. Discrimination against women was wide spread, and traditional social and legal constraints generally kept women in a subordinate position in society.

Trafficking in women and children for the purposes of forced prostitution and bonded labour, and the use of child labour remained widespread. Workers' rights were restricted, and debt slavery remained a problem.

Police and security forces allegedly were responsible for the deaths of individuals associated with political, extremist, or terrorist groups during the year, and security forces committed extra-judicial killings.

The government frequently investigated police officials for extra-judicial killings; however, failure to discipline and prosecute consistently and lengthy trial delays contributed to a culture of impunity.

According to press reports, the Pakistan Armed Forces were responsible during the year for approximately 65 civilian casualties that occurred during its offensives against suspected terrorists hiding in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.