The house of a prominent journalist, Mr. Nadir Shah Adil was attacked by a force of police officers, not less than 30 in number, with an armored car and two police jeeps on August 21, 2007. Mr. Adil was not at home at the time. Officers from two different police stations of Kalri and Baghdadi police stations in Lyrai town of Karachi, Sindh province-Pakistan, entered the house at 4.30pm after breaking the door and used abusive language to the women and then beat his sons. They remained in house for more than one hour, searched it thoroughly without producing any legal documents or search warrant.
The police claimed they had information that some terrorists were hiding in the house. It is hardly coincidental that Mr. Adil editorial in his newspaper Daily Express, appeared on the same day of attack. The editorial complained about the armed gang warfare in Lyari town between drug barons, in which so many young persons have been killed. The editorial mentioned that the police are not providing protection to the inhabitants but rather protecting the war lords. In the editorial he mentioned the police encounters in the area where in no police officer have ever sustained injuries.
It has become a usual practice of the powerful people and gangsters in Pakistan to hire law enforcement agencies to punish journalists. In 2006, three journalists were punished by the police in different parts of the country, among them one was killed in the Sindh province. During 2007, more than two journalists were arrested and tortured by the police on the behest of powerful persons.
It is also observed that after 9/11 incident and declaration of the war on terror law enforcement agencies in Pakistan have a good excuse for searching any house on the pretext that they are hide outs for terrorists, during which the family members particularly women of the families are abused and humiliated.
The Asian Human Rights Commission condemns the attack on the house of Mr. Nadir Shah Adil, in Karachi, the torture of his sons and the humiliation of the women including his daughter, by the police. The AHRC is of the opinion that after the appearance of the editorial on gang war in the Lyari town of Karachi District, the high ranking police officers, annoyed by the editorial decided to send a message to the entire journalist community to be maintain a distance from the affairs of police and criminal groups, otherwise they will face the same consequences.
AHRC urges the government of Pakistan to hold an enquiry against the attack on house this journalist and bring the law enforcement officers responsible for the attached to book.
