KARACHI, Aug 26: The HRCP investigated in the case of Ameer Zada and Saleem Khan, the two men who were badly burnt while in police custody at the Gizri police station. Ameer Zada succumbed to his injuries and passed away on Wednesday night. The findings of the HRCP team are follows:

According to relatives of Ameer Zada and Saleem Khan, they were picked up by the police on August 9. The police, however, claim they were arrested on August 18. Unofficially, detention of individuals is a common practice within law-enforcement agencies.

A raid on Gizri police station conducted by Judicial Magistrate Rajesh Chand Rajput, resulted in the release of seven people who had been illegally detained. This shows how prevalent this practice is.

The civil judge and judicial magistrate (of the Gizri police station jurisdiction) did not send Ameer Zada and Saleem Khan for a medical check up despite the complaints of maltreatment and torture that were made by them. They were given into police remand instead.

The police requested the court for a remand after claiming to have arrested the two men in a police encounter. Arms and ammunition were supposedly recovered from the two men but no policeman was injured during the encounter. Generally such encounters generate much interest but this particular incident was uncharacteristically hushed up.

Civil Hospital Medical Superintendent Captain Dr Mirza Raza Ali did not allow the HRCP team to meet the two men. After making them wait a considerable time, he informed the team that they were required to seek permission from the police officials concerned.

The police officials did not respond to the HRCP. The medical superintendent in a statement to the press, said that access was denied due to the condition of the patients. However, other individuals and family members of the two men were allowed to meet the men.