PAKISTAN: Enforced disappearance; torture; impunity; un-rule of law
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Dear friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wants to inform you about an alleged illegal arrest and subsequent enforced disappearance of Mr. Abid Raza Zaidi by the elite force personnel in Lahore, Punjab province on 4 October 2006. The victim's enforced disappearance took place soon after he gave his testimony about his earlier illegal arrest, prolonged 110 day detention and constant brutal torture by the army and police officers at the conference jointly organised by Amnesty International and a local organization called Human Rights Commission of Pakistan from 30 September to 1 October 2006.  To date he was not been produced before any court of law and his whereabouts remain unknown.

Mr. Abid Raza Zaidi (aged 23), PhD student of University of Karachi has been missing since he was arrested by the elite force, the special force against terrorism, on 4 October 2006 from Lahore, the capital city of Punjab province, Pakistan. To date he was not been produced before any court of law. This is his second arrest by the special force.

Before his arrest and subsequent disappearance, Mr. Zaidi attended a two day conference on "disappearances and torture" jointly organised by Amnesty International and a local organization called Human Rights Commission of Pakistan held from 30 September to 1 October 2006 at Islamabad. During conference he narrated the whole story of his first arrest, illegal detention and torture in relation with a bomb blast case of 11 April 2006 of Nishter Park, Karachi, Sindh province. He was arrested on 26 April 2006 and was disappeared along with 12 persons of the Shia sect of Islam. He was released on 18 August 2006 after illegally being detained for 110 days in different military torture camps. During this period, he was never produced before any court of law. To see details of the victim's first arrest, please refer to our previous appeal: UA-171-2006.

Mr. Zaidi testified at the conference that he was taken from his home on 26 April 2006 at night by plain cloth persons and taken blind folded to a military camp in Karachi. He was then tortured by army officers to confess to the bomb blast at a religious gathering on 11 April 2006 at Nishter Park, where 55 persons were killed. He also testified that army officers accused him of masterminding the blast. Mr. Zaidi also reported that several times he was taken blind folded to different cities of Pakistan by an army airplane and produced before several army and police officers for interrogations and all times he was tortured. He remembered that one time, some law enforcement agency persons were talking themselves that they were in Multan, Punjab province. Mr. Zaidi was very brave to tell the people at the conference about whole story of his illegal arrest, prolonged detention and brutal torture and showed them marks of torture on his body.

After the conference, Mr. Zaidi went to see his sister Mrs. Fatima, who lives at Islam Pura Ansari road, Lahore, Punjab province on 3 October 2006. On the following night, some persons in plain clothes raided his sister's house and took Mr. Zaidi along with his maternal uncle Mr. Javed Zaidi to unknown place. His uncle was then released at 11 o'clock that night, while Mr. Zaidi was taken to another unknown place. The uncle reported that during his custody, the person from the elite force shouted at MR. Zaidi saying, "how you dared to tell at the conference about your torture and disappearance. Now you will face the good torture".  Since his illegal arrest, Mr. Zaidi's whereabouts remain unknown. His family fear that he might be subjected to brutal torture again and his life is in grave risk. 

ADDITIONAL COMMENT:

Enforced disappearance of persons following illegal arrest is a common phenomenon in Pakistan since the military government took power in 1999. For example, For example, in Balochistan province alone where Pakistan army conduct on-going military operations, the Federal Minister of the Interior reported that 4,000 people have been arrested since 2001. The actual number of the arrested will be much higher when the disappearance cases are included. Out of 4,000 persons, only less than 200 people have been produced to the courts. In Sindh province, several journalists and political & human rights activists have been disappeared after their arrests. To see relevant cases of forced disappearance, pleases visit our previous appeals: UG-003-2006, UA- 227-2006, UG-013-2006, UA-145-2006, UP-127-2006, UA-171-2006, UA-169-2006 and UA -132-2006.

SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please write to relevant authorities listed below and urge them to take immediate intervention to locate the victim and ensure his release. Please also urge them to inquire about the incident and bring those responsible for the victim's illegal arrest and disappearance.

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