LAHORE, Oct 5: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has expressed concern over second-time picking up from Islamabad of Abid Raza Zaidi, a PhD student of the Karachi University, and called upon the federal government to release him.

In a letter to interior minister Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao, HRCP secretary-general Syed Iqbal Haider said Mr Zaidi was picked up by law-enforcing agencies earlier this year and kept in illegal detention.

He said Mr Zaidi, who had narrated the account of interrogation at a workshop organised jointly by the HRCP and the Amnesty International, was once again taken away from Islamabad and detained illegally which was a matter of concern.

According to a press release, the HRCP said no charges against Mr Zaidi had so far been made public as required under the law. It demanded the minister should ensure the victim would not be tortured or harassed.

The HRCP also demanded that its secretary-general and members of Mr Zaidi’s family be allowed to meet the detainee for providing him legal assistance.