[NOTICE: The AHRC have developed a new automatic letter-sending system using the “button” below. However, in this appeal, we could not include e-mail addresses of some of the Pakistan authorities. We encourage you to send your appeal letters via fax or post to those people. Fax numbers and postal addresses of the Pakistan authorities are attached below with this appeal. Thank you.]
[Re: UA-129-2005: PAKISTAN: Investigation stalled into horrific killing of a human rights activists son]
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PAKISTAN: No investigation; intimidation of the human rights defenders; denial of justice; impunity; collapse of the rule of law
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Dear friends,
The Asian Human Rights Commission is deeply concerned by the complete lack of progress of the unduly delayed police investigation for the last two years into the case of Mr. Faraz Ahmed Naveed, a 21-year-old Karachi university student, who had been kidnapped and murdered in Karach, Sindh province on 8 November 2004. Farraz is the son of Baseer Naveed, a prominent human rights activist and journalist in Pakistan, who led the movement of more than 50 communities against the construction of Lyari Expressway in Karachi (To see our original urgent appeal on this case, visit: UA-129-2005). It is reported that three sub inspectors and three deputy superintendents of police (DSPs), who were working on the case have been changed for the last two years and at least two DSP who made some progress in the case have been immediately transferred.
November 11, 2006 will be the two year anniversary of the murder of Farraz. However, the Karachi police has not moved an inch into the investigation of this case since the incident occurred in 2004.
According to the latest information we have received, the Ferozabad police station in Karachi has failed to return the belongings of Farraz which were found with the body to his parents despite their repeated requests for years. They include Farraz’s college bag, his diary, some books, 3,000 Pakistan rupees (USD 500), his national identity card, his university card and some audio and video CDs.
Farraz’s parents allege that the police are deliberately avoiding giving those belongings to them. They believe that Farraz’s diary may include the actual clue to find out the cause of his death and identify his murderers. According to the parents, Farraz’s friends later informed them after his death that Farraz had told friends that he had received several threats. Farraz never discussed these threats with his parents in order not to make them worry but probably wrote them in his diary. When the parents asked the police to return Farraz’s dirary, the police all the time said that “we will give it back to you next time”.
Meanwhile, the Mr. Manzoor Mughal Deputy Inspector General (DIG)-Investigation of Sindh province, has changed three investigating officers (all are sub-inspectors) of the case within one month after Farraz’s killing without any sufficient reason. Farraz’s father Baseer Naveed reported that the first investigating officer of his son’s case, Mr. Ithal was transferred within 48 hours of the incident when he was preparing a detailed report about the case. In fact, he was the person who witnessed that the hospital authorities refused to conduct a postmortem on Farraz’s body.
Similarly, the said DIG also changed three DSPs of the Jamshed Quarter police station, who were deputed to investigate the case during the two years of 2004-2005. Those DSPs were supervising the investigating officers of the case. According to Baseer, Mr. Akbar Sanjrani, one of the three DSPs, who was taking much interest in his son’s case and began to make some progress in the investigation, was immediately transferred. Baseer also said that he gave permission to another DSP to exhume Farraz’s body for the purpose of the post-mortem and also arranged some facilities with the medical superintendent of Civil Hospital for the same purpose. However, in no time he was also transferred. The family alleges that the said DIG should be held accountable for the failure of the police investigation as he deliberately delays the investigation process of the case by frequently changing the investigating officers.
Farraz’s family also reported that the current DSP in charge of investigating the case does not show any willingness to conduct the investigation to date. They also insisted that the murderers were backed by very influential figures, considering the fact that even Mr. Sanjrani, who is the younger brother of Chief Secretary of Sindh province, was immediately transferred when he did progress in the case. When Farraz was found be murdered, Mr. Sanjrani was the then DSP of the area where the killing took place.
As a result, no murderers have been identified and arrested to date.
The AHRC has also been informed that the Gulshane Iqbal police have not initiated any investigation regarding the beating of Farraz’s younger brother Yasir Naveed on 3 December 2004. Yasir was removed from the school bus and beaten by unknown persons about one month after his brother’s killing. The assaulters reportedly told him to “tell your father not to go any further”. On the same day of the incident, the family complained about the incident with the Gulshane Iqbal police station. However till date the police even have not filed the first information report (FIR), which is required procedure to begin the investigation.
Farraz’s family members still suffer from trauma due to his killing and left Karachi area due to constant threats and intimidation.
The AHRC is deeply concerned by the long lasting and deep silence of the Karachi police into the killing of Farraz and total impunity granted to the murderers of Farraz. We call for the Pakistan authorities’ urgent intervention into this matter so that justice can be delivered to the victim’s family without further delay.
SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please write to the relevant Pakistan authorities listed below and urge them to take genuine action to investigate Farraz’s killing and identify and arrest the murderers as soon as possible. Please also urge them to make the independent investigating agencies outside of Sindh province take charge of the investigation of this case in order to ensure the transparency and impartiality of the case.
PAKISTAN: Complete lack of progress in the police investigation into the horrific killing of a human rights activist’s son for two years
Name of the victim: Mr. Faraz Ahmed Naveed, a 21-year-old Karachi university student at the time of the incident, son of Baseer Naveed, who is prominent human rights activist and was the Chairman of the Citizen Action Committee in Karachi, Pakistan
Date of incident: Kidnapped on 8 November 2004 and found dead on 10 November 2004
Case status: No progress in the investigation of the case for the last two years with deliberate inaction by the investigating officers
I am writing to bring your urgent attention to the prolonged delay of the investigation into the horrific killing of Mr. Faraz Ahmed Naveed, a 21-year-old Karachi university student who was kidnapped and murdered in Karach, Sindh province on 8 November 2004. The victim is the son of Mr. Baseer Naveed, a prominent human rights activist and journalist in Pakistan, who led the movement of more than 50 communities against the construction of Lyari Expressway in Karachi.
November 11, 2006 will be the two year anniversary of Farraz’s murder. However, I am sorry to see that the Karachi police have failed to make any progress in investigating this case. As a result, none of the murderers have been identified and arrested till date.
I am particularly concerned by the frequent transfer of the investigating officers of this case. As far as I was informed, three sub inspectors and three deputy superintendents of police (DSPs), who were working on the case have been changed for the last two years by Mr. Manzoor Mughal Deputy Inspector General (DIG)-Investigation of Sindh province without any sufficient reason. For example, the said DIG changed three investigating officers (all are sub-inspectors) of the case within one month after the incident. For example, the first investigating officer of his son’s case, Mr. Ithal was transferred within 48 hours of the incident when he was preparing a detailed report about the case.
I was also informed that at least two DSP who made some progress in the case have been immediately transferred. According to the victim’s father, Mr. Akbar Sanjrani, who was the then DSP of the area where the killing took place at the time of the incident, was transferred soon after he began to make some progress in the investigation. Another DSP was soon transferred soon after he reportedly tried to exhume the victim’s body for post-mortem purposes with the permission of the victim’s family before his transfer.
Farraz’s family also alleges that the current DSP in charge of investigating the case does not show any willingness to conduct the investigation. Under the circumstances, no result came out from the investigation even though two years have already passed since the incident. I believe that the said DIG is accountable for the failure of the police investigation as he deliberately delays the investigation process of the case by frequently changing the investigating offices.
I was also informed that the Ferozabad police in Karachi have failed to return the belongings of Farraz, including his diary to his parents despite their repeated requests for years. The family believe that Farraz’s diary may include the actual clue to find out the cause of his death and identify his murderers. However, when the parents asked the police for returning Farraz’s diary, the police all the time said that “we will give it back to you next time”.
I am extremely disappointed by the fact that the Gulshane Iqbal police have not initiated any investigation regarding the beating of Farraz’s younger brother Yasir Naveed on 3 December 2004, one month after his brother’s killing. The assaulters reportedly told him to “tell your father not to go any further”. On the same day of the incident, the family complained about the incident with the Gulshane Iqbal police station. However till date the police even have not filed the first information report (FIR), which is required procedure to begin the investigation. The police could have found a possible clue to identify the murderers by investigating this incident but all become in vain due to the police’s inaction.
I therefore strongly urge you to immediately intervene into this case. Please promptly appoint independent investigating agencies outside of Sindh province to conduct an impartial investigation into this case, and take all possible measures to speed up the investigating process. The victim’s diary should be return to the victim’s family and all the measures should be taken to identify the murderers of the victim. I also urge you to inquire about the allegation of deliberate inaction of the said DIG and the DSP, who is currently in charge of the case investigation, and take strong disciplinary and legal action against them if they are proven to guilty.
I look for your urgent intervention into this matter.
Yours truly,
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PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTER TO:
1. General Pervez Musharraf
President
President’s Secretariat
Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 51 922 1422, 4768/ 920 1893 or 1835
E-mail: (please see – http://www.presidentofpakistan.gov.pk/WTPresidentMessage.aspx)
2. Mr. Muhammad Wasi Zafar
Minister of Law, Justice and Human Rights
S Block
Pakistan Secretariat
Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 51 920 2628
E-Mail: Minister@molaw.gov.pk
3. Mr. Ishrat-ul- Ibad Khan
Governor
Government of Sindh
Governor House Karachi
PAKISTAN
Tel: + 92 21 920 1201
Fax; +92 21 9201226 (for his principal secretary)
E-mail: mlty_secretary@governorsindh.gov.pk (for his military secretary)
4. Dr. Arbab Abdul Rahim
Chief Minister of Sindh
Chief Minister House
Karachi
PAKISTAN
Fax: + 92 21 9202000
5. Joint Secretary for Law, Justice and Human Rights
Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Tel: + 92 51 920 2819
Fax: + 92 51 920 3119
6. Ms. Hina Jilani
Special Representative of the Secretary General for human rights defenders
Att: Melinda Ching Simon
Room 1-040
C/o OHCHR-UNOG
1211 Geneva 10
SWITZERLAND
Tel: +41 22 917 93 88
Fax: +41 22 917 9006 (ATTN: SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS)
Thank you.
Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission (ahrchk@ahrchk.org)
