"The state is desperate for talks with the terrorists. But it is not initiating talks in Balochistan where youngsters are being abducted and killed," SPO official Naseer Memon. PHOTO: FILE
He was speaking to journalists, police officers and members of the civil society at a seminar ‘Prevalence of Torture in Pakistan, Our International Commitment and Role of Media’, organised by Rozan, a non-government organisation working for the rights of women, and Oxfam GB at Mehran Hotel.
Arif also called for a change in the system as torture cases are handled by officials who may at times be guilty of the crime itself. “Under the criminal justice system, people have to file complaints of torture to the police sometimes against other police officials only. This will certainly allow the police to favour their colleagues. They may also try to make sure that the suspect is not found guilty of the crime.”
The human rights activist called torture a direct attack on human dignity, adding that the term was often confused with violence. “Torture is committed when a powerless person is left at the mercy of others. People tortured by the police are usually those who can’t pay bribes or belong to underprivileged backgrounds or have no political influence.”
According to him, inhuman degradation is also part of torture, adding that when a poor man is slapped by the police when he comes to register an FIR is torture. “Psychological torture is mostly used by the police to threaten and disgrace others.” He said that physical torture can have a long-lasting affect on victims. He also touched upon article 14 of the Constitution, which prohibits torture.
Naseer Memon of the Strengthening Participatory Organisation (SPO) said the state carried out torture in the name of national interest and religion. Calling torture a fundamentally political issue, he said the situation needed to be looked at through political lens.
Memon further went on to question the state’s relationship with its citizens, lamenting that it was discriminatory. “The state is desperate for talks with the terrorists. But it is not initiating talks in Balochistan where youngsters are being abducted and killed and their bodies are being dumped.”
Regarding the UN Convention against Torture, he said that the state is quick to sign such conventions but does not believe in implementing the same or making legislations over them. Before work on legislation against torture could begin, the human rights ministry in the province was merged with another.
Rozan’s senior coordinator Shabana Arif said that there was a dire need to create awareness on torture as people don’t usually talk about it. She urged collaborations between the media and civil society members to bring human rights violations to the limelight.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 25th, 2013.
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