April 15, 2007	Sunday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 26, 1428

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ISLAMABAD, April 14: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chairperson Benazir Bhutto has expressed shock over disclosure by a US-Pakistani female human rights activist that she was attacked by security agencies personnel outside the Supreme Court of Pakistan on April 3.

Ms Bhutto demanded an enquiry into the incident and arrest of the culprits.

“Dr Amna Buttar, president of the US-based Asian American Network Against Abuse of Human Rights, said that while participating in a peaceful protest outside the Supreme Court of Pakistan in support of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry on April 3, the Anti-terrorist Squad personnel grabbed and pushed her down. As she fell on her knees, one of the security personnel pushed his hand and grabbed her violently. Dr Buttar’s brother is a judge of Pakistan’s top court and was holding court when she was being molested,” Ms Bhutto said in a statement issued here on Saturday.

She said the disgraceful behaviour by security persons needed immediate attention and action if the regime was sincere about its so-called claims of moderation. However, she feared that the claims of moderation were simply hollow slogans to please the West while in actual fact pagan customs and savage behaviour were meted out to women, minorities and working classes of the country.

She also called upon the Supreme Court to take suo motu notice of the attempt to manhandle Ms Buttar. “If the apex court cannot protect the sister of a senior judge from molestation by taking suo motu action, people of the country would lose confidence in the availability of justice in the country,” she said.

She urged the national and international human rights bodies to raise their voice against “the latest and most ugly manifestation of state brutality”. Dr Buttar would not have suffered in vain if the abuse against her could help stop further such abuses in the country, she said.—Our Reporter