LAHORE, Oct 20: Participants in a consultative meeting on Thursday agreed to form a broad-based civil society alliance against torture and ill-treatment to better protect victims' rights in line with the United Nations Convention against Torture.

The meeting was held under the aegis of Women in Struggle for Empowerment (WISE) and the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) and was presided over by rights activist and HRCP secretary general I.A. Rehman. More than 40 civil society organisations, groups and rights defenders were in attendance.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Rehman said state-sponsored violence in the form of torture in custody, extrajudicial killings and forced disappearances was on the rise in Pakistan. “Soon after ratifying the Convention against Torture last year, Pakistan had shown reservations about its important articles, which provide protection against state torture, and our country's reservations about CAT are causing serious concerns in the international community,” he said and urged the government to consult parliament on CAT.

He said though the government had withdrawn some reservations, key ones were still there. He said state torture had been encouraging private torture, making society more violent and intolerant. Studies showed that incidents of Karo Kari had increased in Pakistan. So it was need of the hour to form an alliance against torture by developing and circulating a position paper, he added.

Justice Nasira Javed Iqbal (retired) said judicial remand of the accused in Pakistan had become a joke, as many of them were being killed during interrogation. “Accused are being tortured in violation of the law to get forced confessions. According to the law, the judge or magistrate who allows remand into police custody has to ask the accused if he or she was subjected to torture, but this practice is generally not followed,” she said.

She said there was no remedy for extrajudicial killings even after Pakistan ratified CAT. She said normally killing was considered as the last form of torture, but it had become the first resort in Pakistan. She urged the government to frame laws and make rules according to CAT and withdraw all reservations about it. “We need to make rules and create forums for effective enforcement of related laws,” she suggested.

WISE executive director Bushra Khaliq said torture had become an attitude in Pakistan to exploit workers, children and women. She said the Thana culture never changed and police stations had become hubs of torture and bribery. She urged the government to enact laws in the light of CAT to curb such incidents.

Ms Khaliq said more than 10,421 cases of torture in police custody were reported in Pakistan during the last 10 years. Of these, 695 cases of torture against women in police custody were reported in first six months of 2009 alone. “Sexual violence is reported by up to 70 per cent of women in police custody, along with the violation of their basic rights. It is imperative to initiate solid steps to protect victims of torture by forging unity in civil society to stand up against the menace by involving rights groups/organisations, rights activists and individuals. An effective alliance of civil society against torture is need of the hour,” she added.

The participants agreed to assign Ms Khaliq the task of coordination and development of a position paper on torture.

Social activists Maliha Hussain, Salman Abid, Munawwar Ali Shahid and Rabbiya Bajwa also spoke.