Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders Annual Report 2003 - Pakistan

Bomb attack against a women's NGO⁵⁶

On 8th January 2003, there was a bomb attack on the premises of Khwendo Kop. The authorities then provided security guards, but withdrew them later. The activities of the NGO are regularly criticised by extremist groups, as being contrary to the values of Islam. Khwendo Kop is a very active NGO in the field of women's rights in the tribal zones (NWFP, North West Frontier Province).

Banning of a project in favour of women⁵⁷

In January 2003, in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), the conservative government in Peshawar forced an NGO to give up a project for the well-being of women (Mera Ghar). This was a joint project by the Aurat Foundation and a German NGO. The Aurat foundation had received funds to create a centre for receiving women without any resources. The clergy denounced the project as being an attempt to distance the women from the traditional values of Islam, and the NWFP government decided to put an end to the project.

Kidnapping of a Human Rights activist⁵⁸

On 23rd March 2003, Mr. Akhtar Baloch, co-ordinator of the Hyderabad office of the HCRP, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, was kidnapped. He had left the annual meeting of the HRCP in Hyderabad with a colleague, who was driving him back home. Around 7 p.m. their car was immobilised by two armed men on motor cycles. A car then arrived on the scene. Three other armed men got out, and threatened the driver, telling him to go away. Mr. Baloch was forcibly bundled into the vehicle and taken to an unknown destination. He was released several days later, in front of a Gulfishan wedding room, in Hyderabad. He had been abducted despite the fact that there was no charge against him, nor any official enquiry concerning him. He has stated that he was on numerous occasions during his detention questioned about the activities of the HRCP and how it was financed. Before releasing him, his kidnappers warned him not to make the facts known publicly. At his own request, he has been transferred from Hyderabad to Karachi.

According to Mrs. Asma Jahangir, former President of the HCRP and Special Rapporteur of the United Nations Commission for Human Rights on extra-judiciary, summary or arbitrary executions, the action could have been designed to intimidate the HRCP, which had criticised the action of the State and denounced Human Rights violations committed by the Pakistani government. The HRCP had published its annual report at the beginning of March. The HRCP has requested that the authors of this arbitrary detention, in which the secret services are involved, be prosecuted and brought to trial.

Ban on leaving the country⁵⁹

On 14th October 2003 the name of Mr. Shahbaz Bhatti, President of the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance, a non-governmental organisation comprising all the religious minorities, was added by the authorities to the Exit Control List. This prevents him from leaving the country. For a year, Mr. Bhatti had received threats on several occasions, and warnings that he should cease his activities (telephone calls and visits to the organisation's offices). Mr Bhatti expressed opposition to laws and policies that discriminated against religious minorities, including laws on the Huddud and on blasphemy.

[Refworld note: This report as posted on the FIDH website (www.fidh.org) was in pdf format with country chapters run together by region. Footnote numbers have been retained here, so do not necessarily begin at 1.]

56. See the information gathered by the Observatory's international investigative mission to Pakistan, November 2003.

57. Idem.

58. See urgent appeal PAK 001/0303/OBS 015.

59. See the Observatory's investigative mission to Pakistan.