Dear friends,
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a human rights defender and fisherfolk activist has been abducted by the local police. It is alleged 70-80 officials from the police and other agencies along with henchmen of the perpetrators attacked the Kakkapir Village, Karachi, Sindh Province at 3am early in the morning, beat the women and children and assaulted the fisherfolk activist who was actively involved in the campaign against illegal degradation of mangroves and land grabbing. He had been under serious intimidation by the perpetrators. He was then abducted by the police and his whereabouts are still unknown.
CASE NARRATIVE:
Mr. Aijaz Ahmed son of Haji Siddique is a fisherfolk activist who has been working actively in the campaign against land grabbing and illegal degradation of mangroves in Kakkapir Village, Karachi, Sindh.
As an aftermath of this struggle, on April 11, 2011, the High Court gave a stay order on mangrove cutting. The land mafia then allegedly murdered two fisher folk activists, ignoring the high court order.
In that situation when Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum had already lost his two brave friends, Mr. Aijaz Ahmed, on behalf of the deceased activists, had pursued the lawsuit (petition no. D 326/2011) on the cutting of the mangroves against Haji Younis, the Sindh Province administration, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Operation of West Zone Karachi, Town Police Officer of West Zone Karachi, SHO Maripur Police Station, and the Board of Revenue of Sindh Province.
He had not only been attending the hearings and following up the petition regularly but was also fighting at the forefront to lead the campaign against mangrove cutting under the flag of Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum, against the land mafia.
In the continuation of this campaign several meetings with the stake holders were made as a result of which a vigilant committee was formed by the session judge in order to monitor the cutting of mangroves and to suggest the best possible action in this regard. On June 9, 2012, the committee visited the Kakkapir Village to assess the position of mangroves and to record the encroachments.
On their visit, the committee witnessed ongoing illegal cutting of mangroves. On this session the judge passed his immediate orders to stop those illicit activities. This has hampered the malpractices of the perpetrators and in revenge they started intimidating Mr. Aijaz and the other campaigners.
Eventually, on July 23, 2012 at 3am in the morning, 70-80 officials allegedly from the Maripur Police and other agencies along with the henchmen of the perpetrators cordoned off Kakkapir Village, Karachi, Sindh Province. They started violently assaulting the villagers who were going to the mosque as it is the Muslims holy month of Ramadan. They trespassed upon the house of Mr. Aijaz and arrested him without showing any legal order and have taken him to an unidentified place.
The apathy of the situation is that the police denied any knowledge about the arrest of Mr. Aijaz when the villagers including many numbers of women approached the Maripur Police Station to know about his whereabouts.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Approximately, 27 acres of the village’s mangrove land, where fisher folk have been living for decades, have been stolen and sold for private profits by a land mafia. The land mafia does not have legal title to the land. The Forest and Wildlife Department of Sindh province, in its Notification (No. F & W (SOII)5(18)/2008 dated November 2, 2010), declared the mangrove forests of Thatta and Karachi to be “Protected Forest” with immediate effect under the Section 29 of the Forest Act 1927. The Forest Act clearly states that the ‘Protected Forest’ is the property of Government, or over which the Government has proprietary right, or to the whole or any part of the forest-produce to which the Government is entitled.
However, even after the Notification, the land mafia continues to cut the mangrove trees and occupy the land for their private profits. The Sindh administration has failed to protect the forest it declared to be “protected.” The Forest Act requires the punishment of those who infringe the Notification, but the Sindh administration has taken no steps to hold the perpetrators accountable.
Asian Human Rights Commission has documented several reports on the subject matter. For more details about the background and campaign, please refer to the cases below:
AHRC-UAC-008-2011: PAKISTAN: The villages of fisher folk are being grabbed by powerful persons from the ruling party
AHRC-UAU-024-2011: PAKISTAN: Call for immediate arrest of the murderers of two activist fishermen and stop the land grabbing
AHRC-STM-074-2012: PAKISTAN: A year of unjust and impunity for the murderer of two Fisherfolk activists.
SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please write to authorities to express your concern on the sheer violation of human rights. Please urge them to institute a proper investigation on this matter and safe recovery of Mr. Aijaz Ahmed at the earliest. The officials of Maripur police station involved in this ill-treatment with fisherfolk should be prosecuted. Please also urge them for an extended legal action should be taken against the perpetrators for destroying the eco system by acquiring the filling the sea and cutting the mangroves plants along the coastal area.
The AHRC will write a separate letter to UN Special Rapporteurs on Situation of Human Rights Defenders and UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, calling for their interventions into this matter.
To support this appeal, please click here:
To support this case, please click here: SEND APPEAL LETTER
SAMPLE LETTER
Dear ___________
PAKISTAN: Another human rights defender and fisherfolk activist has been abducted and his whereabouts are unknown
Name of victim: Aijaz Ahmed son of Haji Siddique, 38 years old resident of Kakkapir Village, Kemari Town, Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
Names of alleged perpetrators:
1. Mr. Haji Muhammad Younis, Former president of Pakistan Fishermen Cooperative Society, Sandspit, Maripur, Kemari town, Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
2. Mr. Shafiq Tanoli, Station House Officer (SHO), Mauripur police station, Kemarai town, Karachi, Sindh
3. Relevant officials of Maripur police station, Frontier Constabulary (FC) and Central Investigation Agency (CIA)
Date of incident: July 23, 2012 3:00am
Place of incident: Kakkapir village, Maripur, Kemari town, Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
I am writing to voice my deep concern regarding the abduction of Mr. Aijaz Ahmed S/O Haji Siddique; a fisherfolk activist who has been working actively in the campaign against land grabbing and illegal degradation of mangroves in Kakkapir Village, Karachi, Sindh province.
As an aftermath of this struggle, on April 11, 2011, the High Court gave a stay order on mangrove cutting. The land mafia then allegedly murdered two fisher folk activists, ignoring the high court order.
In that situation when Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum had already lost his two brave comrades, Mr. Aijaz Ahmed, on behalf of the deceased activists, had pursued the lawsuit (petition no. D 326/2011) on the cutting of the mangroves against Haji Younis, the Sindh Province administration, DIG Operation of West Zone Karachi, Town Police Officer of West Zone Karachi, SHO Maripur Police Station, and the Board of Revenue of Sindh Province.
According to the information I have received, Mr. Aijaz has not only been attending the hearings and following up the petition regularly but was also fighting at fore front to lead the campaign against mangrove cutting under the flag of Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum, against the land mafia.
I am aware that in the continuation of this campaign several meetings with the stake holders were made as a result of which a vigilant committee was formed by the session judge in order to monitor the cutting of mangroves and to suggest the best possible actions in this regard. On June 9, 2012, the committee visited the Kakkapir Village to assess the position of mangroves and to record the encroachments.
I am also aware that on the visit, the committee witnessed ongoing illegal cutting of mangroves. On this session judge passed his immediate orders to stop those illicit activities. This has hampered the malpractices of the perpetrators and out of grudge they started intimidating Mr. Aijaz and the other campaigners.
It was reported that on July 23, 2012 at 3am early in the morning allegedly, 70-80 officials from Maripur Police and other agencies along with the henchmen of the perpetrators cordon off Kakkapir Village, Karachi, Sindh Province. They started violently assaulting the villagers who were going to the mosque as it is the Muslims holy month of Ramadan. They trespassed upon the house of Mr. Aijaz and arrested him without showing any legal order and taken him to an unidentified place.
I am shocked to learn of the apathy of the situation that the Maripur police, who are associated with the land mafia, denied any knowledge about the arrest of Mr. Aijaz when the villagers including many numbers of women approached the Maripur Police Station to know about his whereabouts.
According to the information I have received, it is apprehended that life of Mr. Aijaz Ahmed is in severe danger and immediate directives and actions by the concerned authorities are required to save him from any mishap
I, therefore, urge you to conduct immediate investigation and arrest the alleged perpetrators. I once again request you to institute a proper investigation on this matter and get Mr. Aijaz Ahmed released at the earliest. The relevant officials of Maripur police station and other agencies involved in this ill-treatment and abduction should be identified and prosecuted. Also an extended legal action should be taken against the perpetrators for destroying the eco system by acquiring the filling the sea and cutting the mangroves plants along the coastal area.
Yours sincerely,
----------------
PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS TO:
1. Mr. Asif Ali Zardari
President of Pakistan
President's Secretariat
Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Tel: +92 51 9204801/9214171
Fax: +92 51 9207458
Email: publicmail@president.gov.pk
2. Mr. Raja Pervez Ashraf
Prime Minister
Prime Minister House
Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 51 922 1596
Tel: +92 51 920 6111
E-mail: secretary@cabinet.gov.pk or pspm@pmsectt.gov.pk
3. Syed Qaim Ali Shah
Chief Minister
Karachi, Sindh Province
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 21 920 2000
E-mail: pppsindh@yahoo.com
4. 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 for Law, Parliamentary Affairs
& Criminal Prosecution Service
Sindh Assembly Building,
Court road, Karachi, Sindh province
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 21 9211982
E-mail: secy.law@sindh.gov.pk
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
Fax: +92 21 9207044
Tel: +92 21 9207043
E-mail: lukshmil@yahoo.com
8. Dr. Faqir Hussain
Registrar
Supreme Court of Pakistan
Constitution Avenue, Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: + 92 51 9213452
E-mail: mail@supremecourt.gov.pk
9. Inspector General of Police
Police Head office, I. I. Chundrigar road
Karachi, Sindh Province
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 21 9212051
E-mail: ppo.sindh@sindhpolice.gov.pk
Thank you.
Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission (ua@ahrc.asia)
