Pakistan: Police attitude/response toward victims of Sipah-e Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) violence (since January 1998)
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 April 1999 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | PAK31582.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Pakistan: Police attitude/response toward victims of Sipah-e Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) violence (since January 1998), 1 April 1999, PAK31582.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ab4474.html [accessed 4 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
No reports on the police attitude and/or response toward victims of Sipah-e Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) violence since January 1998 could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.
However, the following information may be of interest.
In February 1998, following the 11 January 1998 killing of 25 Shi'is in Mominpura by the Sunni extremist militant group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Zaigham Khan wrote the following in the Karachi-based English language monthly journal The Herald:
... Sectarian militants have long received privileged treatment at the hands of the police and jail authorities wherever they are detained. No serious investigation into their alleged crimes is ever conducted, and cases are pursued half-heartedly.
Generally, it seems that sectarian militants operate practically unchecked while the authorities appear to look the other way. ...
In December 1998 Azmat Abbas of The Herald stated that
Until only recently, the Punjab police actually appeared to be soft on sectarian criminals. Even while in custody, such suspects were treated with utmost caution. Similarly, although the reprehensible practice of executing criminals in staged 'encounters' has long been part of police work in the province, activists belonging to militant religious organisations were never eliminated in this manner.
As sectarian crime spiralled out of control, the law enforcers looked on helplessly. But since September this year, the Punjab police's attitude appears to have undergone a dramatic transformation.
If only because their own men were increasingly being targeted by militants from hard-core sectarian organisations, the police seemed to have decided to strike back with a vengeance. As a result, seven activists belonging to the Sipahe Sahaba [SSP] and the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi have recently been killed in 'encounters' with the police. ...
There is reason to believe that this sudden shift in policy was prompted at least in part by the increasing threats and attacks on police officials by sectarian militants. ...
Police officers maintain that by going on the offensive, they might succeed in preventing militants from targeting police personnel. "A number of good policemen have been killed simply because they had arrested sectarian criminals, both Shia and Sunni, or broken up a network of militants," says a senior police officer. "If officials responsible for arresting sectarian killers are themselves targeted, who will provide security to the public?" he adds. "Perhaps killing terrorists is also necessary to give the police a psychological advantage over the militants," the officer concludes.
... However, not all police officials condone the police of extra-judicial killing. ...
Nevertheless, many believe that extreme measures have indeed become necessary, especially now that police personnel are increasingly being targeted. In fact, officers assigned to combat sectarian crime and those responsible for arresting sectarian terrorists live under the constant threat of reprisal. ...
Other police officers and their families also live in constant fear. At the same time, however, the police claim to have made considerable headway in cracking down on sectarian crime. In this connection, sources say the police have lately succeeded in infiltrating some key organisations. The Sipahe Mohammad [SMP], a militant Shia group, has apparently been smashed as a result, and the police say they have informers in influential positions inside other Shia militant organisations as well. The police also claim to have dented the Sipahe Sahaba (SSP) and the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, both Sunni militant groups. ...
For information on how the police operates generally, please consult Country Reports 1998.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
The Herald [Karachi]. November-December 1998. Vol. 29, No. 11. Azmat Abbas. "Terror Tactics."
_____. February 1998. Vol. 29, No. 2. Zaigham Khan. "The Tragedy of Mominpura."
Additional Sources Consulted
Amnesty International Report 1998. 1998.
Asian Survey [Berkeley, Calif.]. Monthly. January 1998-November 1998.
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. Yearly. 1998, 26 February 1999.
Current History [Philadelphia]. Monthly. January 1998-March 1999.
The Herald [Karachi]. Monthly. January 1998-March 1999.
HRCP Newsletter [Lahore]. Quarterly. October 1997, April 1998, July 1998.
Human Rights Watch World Report 1999. 1998.
Immigration and Naturalization Directorate, Home Office, London. November 1998. Pakistan: Country Assessment.
Jane's Intelligence Review [Surrey]. Monthly. January 1998-January 1999.
Research Directorate. January 1999. Human Rights Information Package: Pakistan.
Resource Centre. "Pakistan" country file. January 1998-present.
Electronic sources: Internet, IRB Databases.
