Dear friends,
The Asian Human Rights Commission has received information about a case in which six close relatives of a man have been arrested, tortured and falsely charged in response to his love marriage to a higher caste woman. The woman’s family (which includes powerful Punjab assembly member Iftekhar Baloch) is alleged to be behind their arrest and abuse. Baloch is notorious for committing human rights violations in the area; he featured in an AHRC urgent appeal earlier this year accused of arranging and directing police torture in another case of love marriage yet remains unchallenged. No legitimate evidence against the detainees has been produced and the groom’s mother currently stands charged, ludicrously, with rape. The couple is in hiding, under the threat of death.
CASE DETAILS:
According to reports from the Star Welfare Association, a local NGO, Ms. Akhteri Bibi married Mr. Mohammad Ashraf by choice in June 2008. Since she was meant to have married a cousin, the ceremony took place without her family knowing, but the marriage was endorsed at the Lahore High Court later that month. Ashraf is not from the same tribe as Akhteri and his family is not nearly as wealthy.
However the bride and her former fiancé, Mr. Ijaz Baloch, are the cousins of Mr. Iftekhar Baloch, a member of the PML-N, the ruling provincial party. The latter was recently behind the arrest and extensive torture of six others after another of his female cousins married a less wealthy man; he also abducted and allegedly raped the groom’s 16-year-old sister (see UAC-051-2009 and below). Ijaz Baloch works at his cousin’s office.
Six months after this latest marriage, Akhteri Bibi’s family found out about it, and shortly after, on 18 December Massan police officers (Jhang disctrict) arrested and detained Ashraf’s mother, Mrs Allah Wasai, his father, Mr. Punnu Khan, his brothers Mr. Mirza Punnu Khan, Mr. Ramzan and his two uncles, Mr. Sher Syed and Mr. Muhammad Khan, without charge. The couple escaped from the city and have taken shelter in the north where the police network is weaker.
After twelve days of illegal detention and alleged torture in a bid to find the couple, the Massan police filed cases of theft and trespassing (FIR of 345/08) against the mother, her husband, brothers and sons, plus the groom and another of his uncles in absentia. The complainant was the bride’s former fiancee, Ijaz Baloch and the charge sheet read that the eight had stormed his house, beaten his newlywed wife and stolen valuables. With it, the police were able to get 15 further days of remand from the local civil court, and the detainees were again severely abused.
Police then reportedly amended the FIR. It now claims that Ijaz Baloch’s wife, Mrs. Rehana, was also raped during the raid and it still clumsily features all the names of the accused, thus charging the mother with the rape too.
We are told that the Jhang additional session judge has been under pressure from Iftekhar Baloch to keep renewing the detention orders, despite there being no evidence against the victims. So far only Ashraf’s mother has been released on bail; the rest are reportedly being held in Jhang Central Jail, and have been told that they won’t be set free until the persecuted couple return.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Mr. Iftekhar Baloch is the provincial leader of the PML-N party and is head of the powerful Baloch tribe in the central and southern parts of Punjab. He already extensively abused his powers and broke the law this April when he arranged for the in-laws of his cousin Khulsoom to be arrested and severely tortured; the groom and one of his relatives was particularly brutalized, including being raped. We have reported a twenty-day timeline of the abuse of one of these victims, Mr Shafiq Dogar. The groom’s 16-year-old sister Shazia was witnessed being taken away in Baloch’s car and was kept in private captivity for 20 days, during which she was also allegedly raped (see the original appeal, UAC-051-2009; STM-116-2009, The life of a 16-year-old girl is in danger after her abduction by a member of the assembly; or STM-122-2009, a Chilling Tale of Police Torture).
Though an AHRC Urgent Appeal notified the Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court, who then ordered the release of the groom’s relatives and various FIRs to be filed, the legal process has not been taken any further. Had it been, Akhteri, Ashraf and his relatives would likely not have been subject to police-led torture and trauma, and Baloch’s previous victims would be on a route to redress, rather than being impoverished and in hiding, as they are now. This entrenched, deepening corruption in the police force and in parliament continues to damage and destroy the lives of normal Pakistanis, and make a mockery of their legal system, and in turn, their country.
SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please write letters to the authorities below urging them to release the family of Mohammad Ashraf, compensate them appropriately and charge those accused with their illegal arrest and torture, including Mr. Iftekhar Baloch. Please ask for protection to be provided for the couple, so they can return home in safety.
The AHRC has written to the UN Special Rapporteurs on torture, violence against women and the independence of judges and lawyers, as well as the Working Group on arbitrary detention, asking for their intervention.
To support this case, please click here: SEND APPEAL LETTER
SAMPLE LETTER
Dear [salutation],
Re: PAKISTAN: A parliamentarian arranges the arrest and torture of a man’s mother and other relatives in response to a love marriage
Names of the victims:
1. Ms. Akhteri Bibi, 25; the bride.
2. Mr. Mohammad Ashraf, 27; the groom; son of Punu Khan.
3. Mrs Allah Wasai; mother of Mohammad Asharaf.
4. Mr. Punnu Khan; son of Shera and father of the groom.
5. Mr. Mirza Punnu Khan; son of Punnu and brother of the groom.
6. Mr. Ramzan; son of Punnu and brother of the groom.
7. Mr. Sher Syed; son of Shera and paternal uncle of the groom.
8. Mr. Muhammad Khan; son of Shera and paternal uncle of the groom.
All resident of Chak Balochan, Massan police station, Jhang district, Punjab.
Names of the perpetrators:
1. Mr. Mohammad Ijaz Baloch; son of Syed Baloch; resident of Chak Balochan, Massan police station, Jhang district, Punjab.
2. Mr. Iftekhar Baloch, Member of Punjab provincial Assembly; resident of Shah Jewna, Jhang district, Punjab.
3. Station Head officer (SHO); Massan Police station, Jhang district, Punjab.
Place of incident: Massan Police station and Jhang Central Jail, Jhang district, Punjab
Date of incident: 18 December 2008 to present
I am extremely disturbed to hear about a case in which six close relatives of a man have been arrested, tortured and falsely charged without evidence, in response to his love marriage to a higher caste woman in Punjab. The woman’s family (which includes powerful Punjab assembly member Iftekhar Baloch) is alleged to be behind their arrest and abuse. The couple is in hiding.
After twelve days of illegal detention and alleged torture by the Massan police, cases of theft and trespassing were filed against the groom’s mother, her husband, brothers and sons, plus the groom and another of his uncles in absentia, all named above. The complainant was the bride’s former spurned fiancee, Ijaz Baloch and the charge sheet read that the six had stormed his house, beaten his newlywed wife and stolen valuables. I am told that police then reportedly amended the FIR. It now claims that Ijaz Baloch’s wife, Mrs. Rehana, was also raped during the raid and it still clumsily features all the names of the accused, thus charging the mother with the rape too.
I am told that the Massan police and the Jhang additional session judge are bending under pressure from Iftekhar Baloch to keep renewing the detention orders, and abusing the detainees. No evidence has been produced against the victims, and so far only Ashraf’s mother has been released on bail. The rest have been told that they will stay in Jhang prison until the persecuted couple return. I am told that the six victims showed evidence of torture during their first 12-day illegal detention to the judge in the Jhang civil court, and were ignored.
Baloch, is notorious for committing human rights violations in the area he featured in an previous urgent appeal by the Asian Human Rights Commission earlier this year accused of arranging and directing police torture in another case of love marriage, and abducting and raping the groom’s 16 year old sister among other allegations yet he remains unchallenged and at large. Though an Urgent Appeal helped the intervention of the Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court, who ordered the release of the groom’s relatives and various FIRs to be filed, the legal process has not been taken further.
This sends out a very clear message about the value and strength of the law in Pakistan: it seems it can be trodden upon by anyone with power and wealth.
Had Iftekhar Baloch and his hold over the region’s police officers and judiciary been thoroughly investigated and dealt with earlier this year Akhteri, Ashraf and his relatives would likely not have been subject to police-led torture and trauma, and Baloch’s previous victims would be on a route to redress, rather than being impoverished and in hiding, as they are now.
I, therefore, urge upon you to secure the safe and swift release of the five men still imprisoned and the immediate protection of the couple, currently in hiding from both police, relatives and religious fundamentalists. Those directly and indirectly responsible for their torture and illegal detention must be thoroughly investigated and taken before the law, and compensation must be arranged for the victims.
Iftekhar Baloch must be immediately removed from his position during this investigation, and the ties between him, his fellow parliamentarians and the law enforcement officers in the region thoroughly investigated.
Yours sincerely,
[fullname]
[country]
—————-
PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS TO:
1.Mr. Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani
Prime Minister
Prime Minister House
Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 51 922 1596
Tel: +92 51 920 6111
E-mail: secretary@cabinet.gov.pk
2. Minister for Interior
R Block Pak Secretariat
Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Tel: +92 51 9212026
Fax: +92 51 9202624
E-mail: ministry.interior@gmail.com or interior.complaintcell@gmail.com
3. Mr. Mian Shahbaz Sharif
Chief Minister of Punjab
H-180 Model Town
Lahore
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 42 5881383
4. Mr.Syed Mumtaz Alam Gillani
Federal Minister for Human Rights
Ministry of Human Rights
Old US Aid building
Ata Turk Avenue
G-5, Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: +9251-9204108
Email: sarfaraz_yousuf@yahoo.com
5. Minister of Law
Government of Punjab
Punjab Secretariat
Ravi Road
Lahore
PAKISTAN
E-mail: law@punjab.gov.pk
6. Chief Secretary of Government of Punjab
Punjab Secretariat
Lahore
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 42 7324489
E-mail: chiefsecy@punjab.gov.pk
7. Mr. Salman Taseer
Governor of Punjab
Governor House
Mall Road
Lahore
PAKISTAN
8. Dr. Faqir Hussain
Registrar
Supreme Court of Pakistan
Constitution Avenue
Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: + 92 51 9213452
E-mail: mail@supremecourt.gov.pk
——————————
Thank you.
Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission (ua@ahrc.asia)
