[NOTICE: The AHRC has developed this 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 them. Fax numbers and postal addresses of the Pakistan authorities are attached below with this appeal. Thank you.]
Dear friends,
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a clinic serving the poor was attacked by a gang, which resulted in two persons being injured and damage to the clinic on 29 September 2008 in Karachi, Sindh province. The police refused to intervene in this attack and have yet to start an investigation. It is reported that the attackers are working for ‘Crime News’, weekly magazine and have been involved in cases of blackmail and extortion in the area. Despite repeated complaints, the police have not taken any action and the ministry of information has allegedly provided them protection.
CASE DETAILS:
The ‘Dawa Ghar‘(‘medical home’ in local language), a clinic in Taiser town, Gadap, Karachi, Sindh province, has provided medical treatment to the poor at a very minimal fee for the last seven years. According to the information received, when two lady doctors were attending maternity cases in the clinic at 10:30pm on September 29, a group of 12 to 15 persons, some wearing ‘Weekly Crime News’ shirts came in and told the medical staffs that they wanted to make movie and snap photographs of some medicines and patients.
Ms. Parveen, the chairperson of the hospital and other staffs stopped them asking them to show their identity but, the group ignored this and took out some bottles and jars from their bags and started making a movie. While the staffs tried to resist they were beaten and as the result of the attack, two lady volunteers got injured.
In the meantime, a telephone call came from Mr. Ali Rizvi, the managing editor of the weekly magazine, ‘Crime News’ and he asked Parveen to pay Rupees 300,000 (USD 4,286) to the leader of the attackers. When Parveen refused it, saying that she has been running a volunteer organisation purely on the funding of some philanthropists and that she did not have such a big amount. She also refued to pay any extortion. Rizvi scolded her in filthy language and threatened that if she or her organisation refused to pay the monthly extortion, it will face dire consequences.
Those attackers also damaged costly medical instruments and took Rupees 70,000 (USD 1,000), the amount for ‘Zakat’ that has been kept to distribute to needy people during fasting month (Ramadan) of Muslims.
The staff of the clinic contacted the Surjani Police Station and asked for help but the officers refused to come as they could not go without the orders of the Station House Officer (SHO) who was not present at that time. People in the area intervened and the attackers left the place by firing a gun in the air and threatening the volunteers that the newspaper would put them behind the bars for running “mysterious activities in the name of clinic”.
On September 30, Parveen lodged a report to the Surjani Police Station concerning this attack and threats from the said newspaper. As she came back to her clinic, she got a phone call from Rizvi. He said that he knew that a police report was lodged from her and that he had good connections with the police as most of the low ranking police officers have been supporting the newspaper, ‘Crime News’. He threatened her saying that the magazine is run by Mr. Ramzan Natha, the notorious leader of gangsters who are experts in killing targeted person by fabricating car accidents. However, the police have yet investigated in this case.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
The Hassan Saeed welfare Trust has been working for the poor of the poorest people in the Karachi, the capital of Sindh province since seven years. It consists of people who want to work for charities but want to remain unknown according to the basic teaching of the Islam.
It has two major projects in the Surjani town and Khuda Ki Basti, the poorest areas of the Karachi where people even do not have two times of meals a day. The, one is, Khana Ghar, which provides one time meal in Rupee 2 (USD 0.02) per person and the second one is Saeed Medical centre and Maternity home (Dawa Ghar) for the poor. This center has two lady doctors who are providing free medical service in the evening. Each and every newspapers and electronic media houses have given large coverage to the charitable services of Hassan Saeed Trust and Ms. Parveen Saeed for poor people in very low profile way.
It is reported that the weekly magazine, ‘Crime News’ is run by a underworld leader known as Natha group whose chief, Aslam Natha was killed in a gang war in 1990s and now his son Ramzan Natha is running the newspaper under the patronage of the police. It is also reported that despite many complaints of blackmail and extortion have been informed, the police have not taken any action and the ministry of information have allegedly provided protection.
SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please write letters to the authorities listed below demanding to investigate the attack against the charitable clinic by the thugs and thoroughly inquire into the police failure to immediate response to this attack.
Please be informed that the AHRC has also written separate letter to the UN Special Rapporteur on the Question of Torture calling for intervention in this matter.
To support this case, please click here: SEND APPEAL LETTER
SAMPLE LETTER
Dear ______,
PAKISTAN: Police inaction to attack and threats against a clinic serving for poor
Name of victims:
1. Ms. Parveen Saeed, chairperson, Hassan Saeed medical and maternity home,
House number 1713, phase 1, Khuda ki Basti, Taiser town, Gadap, Karachi, Sindh province
2. Two women volunteering at the clinic
Name of alleged perpetrators:
1. about 12 to 15 thugs working for ‘Crime News’, weekly magazine
2. Mr. Ali Rizvi, managing editor, weekly crime news, Lasbella chowk, Karachi, Sindh province
3. Police officers attached to Surjani Police Station
Date of incident: 29 September 2008
Place of incident: Hassan Saeed medical and maternity home, House number 1713, phase 1, Khuda ki Basti, Taiser town, Gadap, Karachi, Sindh province
I am disturbed by the negligence and inaction of the police to the case of attack and threat to a clinic serving for the poor in Taiser town, Gadap, Karachi, Sindh province.
According to the information that I have received, a group of 12 to 15 people, some of whom wearing ‘Weekly Crime News’ shirts raided the ‘Dawa Ghar‘ (maternity home) at 10:30pm on September 29 and obstructed their work under the guise of making a movie without permission from Ms. Parveen, chairperson of the clinic. While being resisted by medical workers, they beat them. As a result of this attack, two women volunteers were injured.
During this time, Mr. Ali Rizvi, the managing editor of the ‘Crime News’ called Parveen over the phone and asked her to pay Rupees 300,000 (USD 4,286) to the leader of the attackers. As she refused, he scolded her in filthy language and threatened that if she or her organisation refused to pay monthly extortion, it will face dire consequences. Soon after, the attackers damaged costly medical instruments and took Rupees 70,000 (USD 1,000).
The staff of the clinic contacted the Surjani Police Station for help but the officers refused to come for intervention as they could not go without the orders of the Station House Officer (SHO) who was allegedly not present at that time. Meanwhile, this fracas was finished by the intervention of people in the area and when the attackers left, they fired in the air and threatened the volunteers that the newspaper, ‘Crime News’ would put them behind the bars for running a ‘mysterious activities in the name of clinic’.
I am aware that Parveen lodged a report at the police station on September 30 concerning the attack and threats from the said newspaper. She reported that she received a phone call from Rizvi saying that he knew that a police report was lodged by her and insisting that he has good connections with the police supporting his newspaper. She also alleges that Rizvi threatened to kill her and make it look like a car accident. However, the police have, so far, not taken any action.
I therefore urge you to thoroughly investigate the attack on the clinic, which caused two women injured, damaged medical instruments and stolen money so that those attackers are properly prosecuted and punished according to law. I also urge you to investigate the failure of immediate intervention by the police, when being informed, with an excuse that they could not come to the spot without the orders of the SHO, and the failure of investigation in the case that has already been reported.
I further urge you to investigate the reason why the police have not taken any action regarding the case of extortion despite many complaints in that regard have been reported in the area. Protection must be provided to Parveen and the workers of the clinic since she received threats.
Finally, I take this opportunity to draw your attention to the fact that it will be a mockery if the government fails to investigate and prosecute the perpetrators of abuse and provide protection to those people who have worked for the poor in the area, instead of the government.
Yours sincerely,
—-
PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS TO:
1. Mr. Asif Ali Zardari
President of Pakistan
President’s Secretariat
Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 51 922 1422, 4768/ 920 1893 or 1835
2. Mr. Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani
Prime minister of Pakistan
Prime Minister House
Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: 92-51-9221596
Tel: +92-51-9206111
E-mail: webmaster@infopak.gov.pk
3. Mr. Rehman Malik
Advisor for Ministry of Interior
Room No. 404, 4th Floor, R Block,
Pak Secretariat
Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 51 920 2624
Tel: +92 51 921 2026
E-mail: minister@interior.gov.pk
4. Dr. Ishrat-ul-Ebad Khan
Governor of Sindh province
Karachi, Sindh Province
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 21 920 5043
Tel: +92 21 920 1201
E-mail: governor@governorsindh.gov.pk
5. Syed Qaim Ali Shah
Chief Minister House
Karachi, Sindh Province
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 21 920 2000
E-mail: pppsindh@yahoo.com
6. Chief Justice of Sindh High Court
High Court Building
Saddar, Karachi
Sindh Province
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 21 9213220
E-mail: info@sindhhighcourt.gov.pk
7. Ms. Nadia Gabol
Minister for Human Rights
Government of Sindh,
Pakistan secretariat, Barrack 92,
Karachi, Sindh Province
PAKISTAN
Tel: +92 21 9207043
Fax: +92 21 9207044
E-mail: lukshmil@yahoo.com
8. Secretary
(Criminal Prosecution) SGA &CD Department
Government of Sindh
Sindh Secretariat,
Karachi, Sindh Province
PAKISTAN
Tel: +92 21 9213327-6
Fax: +92 21 9213873
E-mail: secy.cpsd@sindh.gov.pk
9. Dr. Zulfiqar Ali Mirza
Minister for Home
Government of Sindh
Barrack 79, Pakistan Secretariate
Near MPA hostel
Karachi, Sindh Province
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 21 9204456
Tel: +92 21 9201920-1
E-mail: secy.home@sindh.gov.pk
10. Ms. Shazia Marri
Minister for Information and Archiology
Government of Sindh
Sindh Assembly Building
Karachi, Sindh Province
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 21 920 4416
E-mail: secy.information@sindh.gov.pk
Thank you.
Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission (ua@ahrchk.org)
