Pakistan: Pakistani defender forcibly disappeared: Punhal Sario
Human rights defender and Convenor of Voice for Missing Persons of Sindh, Punhal Sario, has been forcibly disappeared in Sindh Province, southern Pakistan. This is another example in a string of recent enforced disappearances by the security forces in Sindh. His fate and whereabouts remain unknown. He is at grave risk of torture, ill-treatment, and even death.
UA: 192/17 Index: ASA 33/6911/2017 Pakistan Date: 9 August 2017
URGENT ACTION
PAKISTANI DEFENDER FORCIBLY DISAPPEARED
Human rights defender and Convenor of Voice for Missing Persons of Sindh, Punhal
Sario, has been forcibly disappeared in Sindh Province, southern Pakistan. This is
another example in a string of recent enforced disappearances by the security forces in
Sindh. His fate and whereabouts remain unknown. He is at grave risk of torture, ill-
treatment, and even death.
Punhal Sario, a human rights defender and Convener of the Voice for Missing Persons of Sindh, was subjected to
enforced disappearance on the night of 3 August. His friend Dr. Haresh Kumar, who was with Punhal Sario at the
time, witnessed the abduction. Dr. Haresh claims Punhal Sario was taken from his car by individuals in civilian
clothing and police uniforms when he was coming out of Khanabadosh Writer’s Café, which is part of the Sindh
Museum in Hyderabad, in the Sindh province of Pakistan. His fate and whereabouts remain unknown since then.
Mr. Punhal Sario had been part of a civil society effort to raise awareness of the growing trend of enforced
disappearances of activists, writers, and political workers in Sindh under the newly established forum Voice for
Missing Persons of Sindh. He was picked up a day before a large conference organised by the forum. This aimed
at bringing together writers, journalists, activists, and intellectuals to awareness of the situation of missing persons
in Sindh.
Local Sindhi activists claim that as many as 60 activists have been forcibly disappeared in the past few months
from Sindh. This includes political workers Khadim Areejo, Hidayat Lohar, Sabir Chandio, and Bux Ali Mugheri
belonging to Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz.
Please write immediately in English, Urdu or Sindhi:
Urging the Pakistani authorities to order an immediate investigation into Punhal Sario’s fate and whereabouts,
keeping his family fully informed and updated at all times;
Insisting that, if Punhal Sario is in the state’s custody, that he is immediately released, or, if credible evidence of
a recognised offence exists, is transferred to an official place of detention charged promptly and remanded by an
independent civilian court, in line with international human rights standards;
Urging them to ensure that Punhal Sario’s human rights are protected and respected at all time, including – if he
is in custody – his right to life and freedom from torture and other ill-treatment, and that he is allowed access to his
family, a lawyer of his choice and adequate medical care;
Urging them to order an immediate, impartial, independent and efficient investigation into this and all other
enforced disappearances, publicly disclose the findings and bring those suspected of criminal responsibility to
justice in fair trials without recourse to the death penalty.
PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 25 SEPTEMBER 2017 TO:
President of Pakistan
Honourable Mr Mamnoon Hussain
President's Secretariat
Islamabad, Pakistan
Fax: +92 51 920 8479
Twitter: @Mamnoon_hussain
Salutation: Your Excellency
Prime Minister of Pakistan
Shahid Khaqan Abbassi
Prime Minister’s House Secretariat,
Constitution Avenue Islamabad, Pakistan
Fax: +92 51 922 0404 (PM Secretariat)
Twitter: @ shahidKAbbasi
Salutation: Dear Prime Minister
Chief Minister of Sindh
Murad Ali Shah
Chief Minister Secretariat
Dr. Zia ud Din Ahmed Road Karachi
Fax: +92 21 992 02000
Twitter: @SayedMuradShah
Salutation: Dear Chief Minister
Also send copies to diplomatic representatives accredited to your country. Please insert local diplomatic addresses below:
Name Address 1 Address 2 Address 3 Fax Fax number Email Email address Salutation Salutation
Please check with your section office if sending appeals after the above date.
URGENT ACTION
PAKISTANI DEFENDER FORCIBLY DESAPPEARED
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
The practice of enforced disappearances has been an ongoing phenomenon in Sindh since at least a decade, but local activists
claim that since February 2017, the numbers of people that have gone missing has reached unprecedented heights. Political
activists, writers, and human rights defenders have been picked up, allegedly by security agencies, from all over Sindh.
According to local activists, as many as 60 individuals remain missing.
Enforced disappearances in Pakistan have been historically restricted to Balochistan, FATA (Federally Administered Tribal
Areas), and parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and urban Sindh, but are now taking place in Punjab province and the capital
Islamabad as well. In August 2015, journalist Zeenat Shahzadi was abducted in Lahore, Punjab, by armed gunmen on her way
to work. She is believed to be the first woman to have been subjected to an enforced disappearance in Pakistan. Before she was
abducted, she had been reporting on the case of Hamid Ansari, an Indian national who had gone missing in 2012. Zeenat
Shahzadi is still missing. In early January 2017, five human rights defenders were abducted from Islamabad and parts of the
Punjab province. Four of the five – academic and poet Salman Haider, bloggers Asim Saeed, Ahmed Raza Naseer and Waqass
Goraya – returned home between 27 and 29 January 2017. At the time of writing, one of them, Samar Abbas, is still missing.
Under international law, the right to life and freedom from torture and other ill-treatment are non-derogable, and apply in all
circumstances. Pakistan is obliged to respect and protect these rights under several human rights treaties, including the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or
Degrading Treatment or Punishment. In addition, the prohibition of enforced disappearance is a rule of customary international
law binding on all states and an international crime. Under Article 2 of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, each
state has a duty to create the conditions necessary to defend human rights within their jurisdictions. However, human rights
defenders in Pakistan continue to be arrested, detained, tortured and imprisoned simply for their involvement in peaceful
activities. Human rights defenders in Pakistan also face intimidation and harassment. Amnesty International calls on the
Government of Pakistan to ensure an environment in which it is possible to defend human rights as well as peacefully express
political opinions without fear of reprisal or intimidation.
Name: Punhal Sario
Gender m/f: Male
UA: 192/17 Index: ASA 33/6911/2017 Issue Date: 14 August 2017