October 02, 2006	Monday	Ramazan 8, 1427

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ISLAMABAD, Oct 1: Amnesty International (AI) and Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) on Sunday committed themselves to work with other groups “to end the cruel practice of enforced disappearances” in Pakistan.

A press release issued at the conclusion of a two-day workshop on the burning issue expressed concern “over the growing number of enforced disappearances in all parts of Pakistan” and voiced sympathy with the victims and their families. It alleged that “concealment by the government and the callousness of the judiciary have contributed to the commission of this crime”.

United Nations rapporteur Asma Jahangir stated at the opening session of the workshop that HRCP had been informed about 600 disappearances of which it was able to verify 107.

Workshop participants, who included members of the families of victims of enforced disappearance, condemned what they called government efforts to conceal the identity of government agents holding people in secret detention.

They noted that the defence ministry recently told the Sindh High Court that the intelligence agencies did not fall within its “operational control”, making it difficult to hold them to account.

“We call on the government to provide each family with accurate information about the arrests of their relatives and where they are being held. Places of illegal detention must be shut down”.

They demanded that the government ensure all complaints of enforced disappearance were investigated promptly, impartially and effectively and bring the perpetrators of this crime to justice.

“The judiciary should take its constitutional duty to protect human rights seriously and particularly to treat petitions filed by the relatives of victims with the urgency they deserve,” the press release said.

The participants included civil society groups Reprieve, Cage Prisoners, Islamic Centre for the Defence of Human Rights, the Baloch Students Organization (BSO) and the Sindhi National Congress (SNC).

Lawyers, activists and victims reported to the workshop that dozens of persons continued to be held in custody without charge, including children and female relatives of suspected persons.

“We call for the immediate release of all those unlawfully detained unless charged with a criminal offence,” said the press release.

All custodial safeguards available under Pakistani law and in accordance with international human rights standards must be fully applied in such cases and those released from arbitrary detention must promptly be provided full compensation, urged the participants of the workshop.

All sections of civil society, including the media, all political parties, the legal fraternity and trade unions should contribute to broaden awareness of this abuse, to ensure the rule of law.

They urged the Pakistan government to ratify without delay the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the UN Convention on Enforced Disappearance, once adopted by the UN General Assembly.

The workshop urged the UN Working Group on enforced disappearances “to make all efforts to visit Pakistan”.

PPP spokesman Farhatullah Babar told the workshop that under the international law enforced disappearances of citizens was a crime against humanity and even the individuals involved in it could also be tried at any time in the future and asked the human rights bodies and families of victims to seek recourse to justice under this law as and when circumstances permitted in the future.