PUBLIC AI Index: ASA 33/006/2005

UA 111/05 Fear for Safety/"Disappearance” 05 May 2005

PAKISTAN Imdad Baloch (m) ]

Yusuf Baloch (m) ]

Ghulam Rasool Allah Nazar (m)] Members of the Baloch Students Organisation

Naseem Baloch (m) ]

Nawaz Ali (m) ]

Akhter Nadeem (m) ]

Amnesty International is concerned for the safety of
the members of the Baloch Students Organisation named above who were reportedly arrested with several others in the city of Karachi during the early hours of 25 March. They are detained incommunicado at an unknown location and may be subjected to torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.

The men are feared "disappeared" and it is unclear whether local police or intelligence agencies were responsible for their arrest. They have not appeared before a court and local police have denied their detention. The Baloch Students Organisation is a group that is active is highlighting the plight of the Baloch people. They have campaigned on issues including recent allegations of the unlawful killing of villagers by the military in Balochistan. They have also campaigned on the longer standing issue of access to resources such as gas. Balochistan hosts the country’s primary gas installation yet the residents of this province have little access to this resource.

Amnesty International believes that the continued ‘disappearance’ of members of the Baloch Students Organisation violates a number of human rights guaranteed in the Constitution of Pakistan and international human rights standards. The Constitution of Pakistan states in Article 9: ‘No person shall be deprived of life and liberty, save in accordance with law.’ It lays down in Article 10 that every detainee has the right to be informed of the charges against them, to consult and be defended by a lawyer of their choice and be brought before a magistrate within 24 hours of arrest. None of these requirements have been fulfilled in this case.

RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible, in English or your own language:

- urging the authorities to launch an immediate investigation into the whereabouts of arrested members of the Baloch Students Organisation named above;

- reminding the government that incommunicado detention is a violation of an individual’s fundamental rights underlined by Articles 9 & 10 of the Pakistan Constitution;

- seeking assurances that they are not being subjected to torture or ill-treatment;

- calling for them to be granted access to their families, lawyers, and any medical attention they may require;

- calling for them to be released if they are in custody, unless they are charged with a recognizably criminal offence, in which case they must be given a fair and prompt trial.

APPEALS TO: (Please note that email addresses in Pakistan can be unreliable. If you receive notification that your message has not been delivered, please re-send your email. If it fails again, please use fax numbers or postal addresses to send your appeal.)

President, Pervez Musharraf

Pakistan Secretariat

Islamabad, Pakistan

Fax: + 92 51 9221422

E-mail: CE@pak.gov.pk

Salutation: Dear President

Mr. Muhammad Wasi Zafar

Minister of Law, Justice and Human Rights

S Block, Pak. Sectt. Islamabad, Pakistan

Fax: +92 51 9202628

E-Mail: minister@molaw.gov.pk

Salutation: Dear Minister

Governor of Balochistan

Awais Ghani

Governor House

Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan

Fax: +92 81 920 2178 / 2992

Salutation: Dear Governor

COPIES TO: Diplomatic representatives of Pakistan accredited to your country.

PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY. Check with the International Secretariat, or your section office, if sending appeals after 16 June 2005.