HARIPUR:Speakers at a roundtable discussion here on Wednesday called for legislation on torture in line with the United Nation Convention against Torture along with a flawless system of monitoring for detention centres.

The event was organised by NGO Human Development Organisation at the office ofthe District Public Safety Commission in connection with the International Day in Support of Torture Victims.

Members of the District Public Safety Commission, lawyers, human rights activists, policemen and journalists were present on the occasion.

Human rights activist and DPSC member Sadaqat Khan briefed participants about the UN International Day in Support of Torture Victims, the United Nation Convention against Torture, and difference between torture and violence.

Regret country’s failure to criminalise custodial abuses despite commitment

He said though Pakistan had ratified the UNCAT in 2010, it hadn’t fulfilled its commitment of criminalising custodial abuses exposing the people arrested on criminal charges to mild to high degree of torture in the name of investigation.

Mr Sadaqat said the unavailability of modern tools of investigation and forensic laboratories at district level was another hurdle to torture-free arrests and investigations.

Former chairman of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Bar Council and DPSC member Malik Khaliqdad said the growing crime rate proved the notion wrong that torture could be used as a tool ofdeterrenceagainst criminal activities.

“Subjecting detainees to torture backfires as not only the victims of custodial mistreatment become a burden on families and society after developing physical and psychological complications due to third degree torture but such a conduct also encourages recidivism,” he said.

The DPSC member said the method of creating evidence instead of collecting evidence before arrest was against the spirit of human rights.

Another speaker, Dr Khursheed Anwar, said Pakistan had ratified UNCAT nine years ago but it hadn’t criminalised torture attracting criticism.

He suggested the government establish well-equipped forensic laboratories at district level to help end reliance on methods of torture.

DPSC chairman Masoodur Rehman Khan said the tool of torture had failed to force suspects into confessing to their crimes, so the government should legislate against custodial mistreatment.

He said the DPSC should be given the powers of monitoring police stations looking into complaints of torture through independent bodies and ordering the registration of FIRs against policemen at fault to eradicate torture.

The HDO also arranged prisoner welfare activities in different jails.

KILLED: A gunman killed a salesman and critically injured a passerby in Adda Darband area here on Wednesday. The deceased was identified as Mohammad Kaleem, a 32-year-old resident of Akhun Bandi village. The other injured, Nazakat, was admitted to the DHQ. The deceased’s family didn’t name anyone in the murder case.

Published in Dawn, June 27th, 2019