PAKISTAN: An alleged abduction and torture of a journalist by military personnel and the banning of a Sindh television channel by the government 

[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.]

PAKISTAN: Attack on journalist; restriction of free media; violation of the right to movement of media persons; un-rule of law
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Dear friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is deeply concerned by an alleged abduction and subsequent torture of a senior journalist of the BBC by the military personnel from Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Pakistan on 20 November 2006. He was reportedly tortured for about 30 hours at an unknown place and then thrown in a far flung jungle. In a separate incident, the transmissions of Sindh Television network based in Bangkok, Thailand have been banned according to verbal instruction of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) since 8 November 2006. As far as we have confirmed, no valid written notice has been issued by the PEMRA regarding this matter. The alleged reason is that this Sindh Television was producing a weekly satirical program about the performance of the Pakistan government and government ministers including the president and prime minister.

CASE DETAILS:

On 20 November 2006, Mr. Dilawar Khan Wazir, the correspondent of British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) who is also the reporter of Daily Dawn, the largest English newspaper of Pakistan, was allegedly abducted by the plain clothed men in broad daylight from just opposite the Police Head Quarters in Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Pakistan. Mr. Dilawar was severely beaten on the street and then forcibly put in a taxi. Mr. Dilawar was then taken into a secrete place and severely tortured whilst blindfolded. After being captured for about 30 hours, he was been left in a far flung jungle.

Mr. Dilawar is the correspondent at South Waziristan where the Pakistan Army with the collaboration of United States Central Army command is holding military operations in the name of the war against terror.

After his release, Mr. Dilawar told local reporters as well as the BBC that during his captivity, the abductors interrogated him about how he goes inside the places where army is having operations and gets the real stories so quickly. Mr. Mazhar Abass, Secretary General of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists, accused that the manner of the abduction and the interrogation by the abductors shows the incident was done by the Intelligence Agencies (Military) of Pakistan.

In fact, there were several attacks on Mr. Dilawar’s family prior to this incident. In December 2005, there was an explosion outside his family’s residence. On 30 August 2006, Mr. Dilawar’s 15-year-old younger brother Taimur Khan Wazir was also kidnapped by unidentified persons and later found in severe condition in the outskirts of Wana, the capital of South Waziristan, bordering Afghanistan. He succumbed to his injuries on the way to hospital. It is believed that all these incidents are to terrorise Mr. Dilawar’s family in order to intimidate his work.

After the incident, the journalists and opposition parties protested against the kidnapping and subsequent torture of Mr. Dilawar. The journalists boycotted coverage of the assembly and senate sessions and other government functions. During the protest in Senate sessions, the minister for parliamentary affairs allegedly replied to a question of a leader of one opposition party that “There is no need to go in details of abductions, who did abduction and torture, since he is released. So it is okay.”

In 2006, more than dozen of journalists were reportedly abducted and tortured, while 5 of them were found dead.

In a separate incident, a Bangkok based Pakistani television network, Sindh Television’s transmissions were stopped according to verbal instructions of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) since 8 November 2006. It is reported that the PEMRA verbally instructed cable operators throughout the country not to transmit the Sindh Television channel. As far as we have confirmed, no authorised written notice has been given to the cable operators as well as the management of the concerned TV channel.

The Sindh TV channel was popular in Pakistan for highlighting the mismanagement of the Pakistan government. Just one day before Eid ceremonies in late October, the Sindh TV broadcast a satirical show about the highest political and military officers of the government including the president and prime minister. The Managing Director and other staff of the TV channel contacted the government in this regard but they were told that the government would not allow its transmissions from outside the country.

The opposition parties in the national assembly criticized this government action against the Sindh Television and further accused the military that this was done on the behest of military and its intelligence agencies.

It is common feature in Pakistan that the government orders the cable operators not to broadcast the transmissions of free electronic television channels which openly criticized the government. For example, on 19 September 2006, Punjab provincial government reportedly instructed all the cable operators in the province not to broadcast the transmissions of a popular Dubai based Pakistan channel, the ARY Television. After 10 days, the Punjab government allowed its transmissions again after facing huge protests throughout the country as well as international criticism.

The AHRC also wishes to remind you that the transmissions of the Mast FM 103 radio station in Balakot have been stopped since 26 September 2006 as the PEMRA took a discriminatory action against it and did not renewed its broadcast license. This radio station was vocal against corruption of the government’s aid programmes in the earthquake affected area (See further: UA-316-2006). Mr. Basil Fernando, Executive Director of the AHRC sent an open letter to the PEMRA regarding this case and urged its affirmative action (AHRC-OL-065-2006).

SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please write to the relevant authorities listed below and demand their urgent intervention into these two cases. Please urge them to conduct a prompt and independent inquiry into the alleged abduction and torture of Mr. Dilawar, identify those responsible and take legal action against them. Please also urge them to ensure that the transmissions of free TV channels including the Sindh TV are restored without delay.

 

 

 

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