Dear friends,
A seven-year-old girl was badly injured when members of the Frontiers Corp (FC), a para-military force fired indiscriminately at the car she was traveling in, in Hayatabad, Peshawar. One of her legs has had to be amputated and her second leg is badly fractured. Her uncle was also severely injured in the attack and had to drive the car to the hospital when the FC did not stop check on or help their targets. Police have since refused to specify the FC in the First Investigation Report, and the family reports being under pressure to withdraw their case. Television channels have been suppressed from publicising the incident.
CASE DETAILS:
According to the information we have received, the Chief of Army Staff was due to visit Peshawar on 25 November 2009, and much of the city had been close to the public. Mr. Faisal Khan has reported that his family was returning home after Eid shopping, and were opened fire upon as they neared Al-Zarghoni Mosque in Hayatabad. FC soldiers had first boarded a pickup truck with a light machinegun installed in it, and fired two shots into the air, but the victim drove away, assuming that they were responding to militant fire. According to his report, an FC convoy then passed their vehicle and fired at the windscreen, hitting two of the five occupants, which included his 7 year old niece, Laiba, two women and two men. After the attack the soldiers drove away, leaving the wounded civilians to drive to hospital. Laiba has since had one leg amputated and her second leg is badly fractured.
Though Khan has tried to file an FIR (First Investigation Report) at Hayatabad Police Station against FC personnel, the Station Head Officer and Deputy Superintendent of Police have reportedly insisted on filing it against ‘unknown persons.’ The AHRC has been reliably informed that leading TV stations have been prevented from covering the incident by officials, though one newspaper was able to publish news after a significant delay.
Laiba’s mother Mrs. Razia, an official of the United Nations Development Program in London, has noted in her interviews with media that the security forces did not stop to search the car for suspected terrorists at any point, despite being duty-bound to check the vehicle. According to protocol they should have immediately escorted the injured civilians to the nearest hospital. The family members in Hayatabad are reporting pressure from FC officials not to pursue the case, and are worried for their safety.
SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please write letters to the authorities urging them to thorough investigate the allegations against the Frontier Corp soldiers and Hayatabad police officers.
To support this case, please click here: SEND APPEAL LETTER
SAMPLE LETTER
Dear __________,
PAKISTAN: Frontier Corp officers shoot a child; police obstruct the filing of the case
Name of the victims:
1. Miss Laiba Asim, 7, a grade two student; admitted to the Rehman Medical Institute, Hayatabad, Peshawar, NWFP.
2. Mr. Mohammad Faisal Khan; admitted in Rehman Medical Institute, Hayatabad, Peshawar, NWFP.
Name of the alleged perpetrators:
1. Personnel of the Frontier Corp, stationed at Hyatabad, Peshawar, NWFP.
2. The Station Head Officer, Hayatabad Police Station, Hayatabad, Peshawar, NWFP.
3. The Deputy Superintendent of police, Hayatabad, Peshawar, NWFP.
Date of incident: November 25, 2009
Place of incident: Near Al- Zarghoni Mosque, Hayatabad, Peshawar.
I am outraged to hear that a seven-year-old girl lost a leg when members of the Frontiers Corp (FC), a para-military force fired indiscriminately at the car she was traveling in. I am told that after the attack the soldiers drove away, leaving the wounded civilians to drive to hospital.
According to the information that I have received, Mr. Faisal Khan another man, two women and his niece were opened fire upon as they neared Al-Zarghoni Mosque in Hayatabad. I am told that the Chief of Army Staff was due to visit Peshawar on 25 November 2009, and much of the city had been close to the public. According to the victim’s report, after firing obscure warning shots an FC convoy had passed their vehicle and fired at the windscreen, hitting two of the five occupants and not stopping to check on or assist the occupants of the car afterwards.
Though Khan has tried to file an FIR (First Investigation Report) at Hayatabad Police Station against FC personnel, the Station Head Officer and Deputy Superintendent of Police have reportedly refused to file the FIR against the FC, and have insisted on filing it against ‘unknown persons.’ I have also been reliably informed that leading TV stations have been prevented from covering the incident by army officials.
The victims in Hayatabad have reported increasing pressure from FC officials not to pursue the case and are worried for their safety. Please act to ensure their protection, and to ensure a thorough investigation into the allegations against the Frontier Corp soldiers, who must be held accountable. Please also investigate the seeming impunity being tolerated in police stations and investigate the Hayatabad police accordingly.
Yours sincerely,
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PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS TO:
Mr. Asif Ali Zardari
President
President’s Secretariat
Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 51 9922 1422, 4768/ 9920 1893 or 1835
E-mail: (please see: http://www.presidentofpakistan.gov.pk/WTPresidentMessage.aspx)
2. Mr. Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani
Prime Minister
Prime Minister House
Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 51 9922 1596
Tel: +92 51 9920 6111
3. Mr. Rehman Malik
Minister of Interior
Room No. 404, 4th Floor, R Block,
Pak Secretariat
Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 51 920 2624
Tel: +92 51 9921 2026
E-mail: minister@interior.gov.pk
4. Minister of Law, Justice and Human Rights
S Block Pakistan Secretariat
Islamabad -PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 51 9920 2628
E-mail: minister@molaw.gov.pk or naelaw786@hotmail.com
5. Mr. Amir Haider Khan
Chief Minister
Government of North West Frontier Province
Peshawar PAKISTAN
FAX: +92-91-9210707
6. Mr. Basheer Ahmed Bilor
Senior minister
Government of North West Frontier Province
Peshawar
Pakistan
Fax: +92 91 921 2533
7. Dr. Faqir Hussain
Registrar, Supreme Court of Pakistan
Constitution Avenue
Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: + 92 51 9213452
E-mail: mail@supremecourt.gov.pk
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
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Thank you.
Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission (ua@ahrchk.org)
