RAWALPINDI, May 21: Human rights watchdog Amnesty International is probing Pakistan’s alleged involvement in the global supply of equipment that could inflict torture and aid inhuman treatment of prisoners, Dawn has learnt. An official source said that Amnesty International is also examining legislative and administrative mechanisms by which the government controls or prohibits the manufacture and export of such equipment at the local, regional and international levels.
Amnesty is also interested in finding out more about Pakistan’s domestic legislation and export control policy and practice in the areas of electro-shock weapons and stun weapons, he said. The other areas mentioned by the rights group were restraint equipment, interrogation training for military, security, police personnel and death penalty equipment. Pakistan is an importer of such equipment and technology.
According to the source, Amnesty International has asked Pakistan about existing controls to regulate the manufacture of electric shock weapons and stun weapons.
The rights group is also seeking information about the use of certain forms of electric shock weapons and whether their manufacture, deployment or export is banned or not. It wants the government of Pakistan to confirm whether or not there is a ban on the manufacture, export or deployment of certain forms of restraint such as shackles, leg irons, gang chains and restraint chairs.
Another area of interest for Amnesty is how much control is exercised by the government to regulate the provision of training in interrogation techniques for military, security, police personnel and what controls exist to ensure that such training is not misused to facilitate torture or cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of prisoners.
Amnesty has asked the government whether there is any control on the import and export, manufacture of equipment specially designed for death penalty executions such as the hangman’s noose, electric chair and lethal injection.
The source said the government has directed the Inspector General of Police of all the provinces, the Federal Investigation Agency and other security agencies to give their views and comments on questions raised by Amnesty International.
Asked to comment on the issues raised by Amnesty International, a spokesman for foreign affairs said he did not have any knowledge about it for the time being.
