November 18, 2006	Saturday	Shawwal 25, 1427

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NEW YORK, Nov 17: British Prime Minister Tony Blair should demand an end to Pakistan's use of torture and "disappearances" in both the fight against terrorism and internal political conflicts, the New York based Human Rights Watch said on Friday. Mr Blair is scheduled to visit Pakistan this week.

In a statement the watchdog group said that it has documented a pattern of "disappearances," arbitrary detention and torture by the Pakistani security services in counter-terrorism operations across Pakistan. Some of these cases have involved individuals with personal connections to the UK or who are suspected of planning or participating in offences in the UK. Human Rights Watch urged the British government not to be complicit in Pakistan's practice of using enforced disappearances, arbitrary detention and torture as part of counter-terrorism efforts. The British government should also press Pakistan to take concrete measures to end these abuses.

"Blair should unequivocally affirm his government's commitment to the global ban on torture by publicly telling Musharraf that the UK will not condone Pakistan's use of torture in the fight against terrorism," said Brad Adams, Asia director at the Human Rights Watch. "Torture is so rampant in Pakistan, and the UK's counter-terrorism relationship with Pakistan so important that Blair cannot remain silent."

The Human Rights Watch recalled that Salahuddin Amin, a British national who has been charged in the UK with conspiracy to cause an explosion, appeared before a London magistrate in February 2005 and told the media that prior to his return to and arrest in the UK, he was illegally detained in Pakistan for 10 months. While in detention, Amin alleged he was "tortured mentally and physically and subjected to interrogation by British, American and Pakistani intelligence authorities." His trial is under way in the UK.

Last year Britain's highest court, the Law Lords, ruled unanimously that evidence gained through torture outside of the country cannot be used in British courts. The use of such evidence is explicitly prohibited by the Convention against Torture, to which the UK is a party. The rampant use of torture in Pakistan makes it almost impossible to prosecute many of the British suspects detained in Pakistan.

Abuses by Pakistani military and civilian authorities against political opponents of the government – including extrajudicial killings, "disappearances," torture and arbitrary arrests – have also increased dramatically under Musharraf's rule. Pakistan's military and its intelligence agencies have tortured and forcibly "disappeared" scores of people in the volatile southwestern province of Balochistan, where the government has confronted an armed rebellion by tribal militants operating under the umbrella of the Balochistan Liberation Army. In Pakistan's Federally Administrated Tribal Areas, an aerial attack by the military on October 30 in the town of Khar in Bajaur Agency killed 82 people, including several children. A military spokesman claimed the dead were all militants and rejected calls for an independent investigation.

Human Rights Watch urged Blair to tell Musharraf that Pakistan cannot be a partner in the fight against terrorism so long as it practices torture of suspects.