Tyrant
rulers have always adopted hostile methods to choke
the voices against them. Any person who protests
against their totalitarian regime is singled out as a
lesson for others. The protestor thus becomes a victim
of naked aggression of state governed and
institutionalized terrorism.
This
principle of dictatorial regimes still serves as a
ruling foundation in Pakistan with its blatant malice,
despite all the claims of unchecked, chieftain to
supporting freedom of expression and safeguarding
human rights. However this time around, the
application of this gagging principle is done in a
different fashion by the Musharraf regime.
General Musharraf has invented and pioneered a new
method of cruelty. Besides the sham reverse
engineering he did to produce the fascist versions of
“enlighten moderation” and “liberalism” in the
laboratory of GHQ. This contemporary method of gagging
is a practice to magically disappear a person from the
scene of commonality who objects to the illegitimate
rule and struggles for human rights.
Before the year 2001, this was not the usual method
used to suppress the rising voices. This technique,
along with other pretentious reforms was implemented
in Pakistan by the military governments as a result of
the so called war on terrorism by the U.S. This method
of abductions has succeeded like the sham version of
enlighten moderation of General Musharraf. Because
people can point fingers to the government, however,
they cannot produce empirical evidence that these
mysterious abductions are done on the orders of the
government and government easily avoids the burning
questions by giving a lame excuse of judicial inquiry
in this issue.
In
the beginning, rulers adopted this approach to
increase its revenues. According to the report of
Amnesty International hundreds of Pakistani citizens
and foreigners were abducted from different regions of
Pakistan and sent to Guantanamo Bay. Many people were
arrested without warrant, declared terrorists without
investigation and sold to the Unites States for
US$5000 each. Furthermore, Amnesty International adds
that human rights were badly abused while making these
arrests. Detainees were transferred to the torture
cells of Guantanamo from Bagram airbase and no
information was released to their families and
relatives. Families of many detainees still have no
clue concerning the whereabouts of their beloved ones.
Amnesty International also argues that Pakistani
government is responsible for the imprisonment of
these detainees at Guantanamo without any charge,
concrete evidence and due process of law.
The
common people affected by the US war against terrorism
are not the only category among the detainees at
Guantanamo. In fact, the critics of government,
journalists, scholars, political workers and even the
students have become the prey of this savage
cannibalism and man hunt. Some of these abducted
people, who were released, appeared on the public
forum after few months and then they were stopped from
giving statements by additional torture and threats of
government agencies. However, majority recorded their
statements and confirmed that they were kidnapped by
the government investigation agencies, interrogated at
unknown locations and tortured physically and mentally
in the most inhumane and despicable ways.
Muhammad Saleem Baloch, Senior Vice President of
Jamhori Watan Party was arrested in March, 2006 at the
charge of protesting against the military operation in
Balochistan, outside Karachi Press Club, and then kept
in detention at an unknown location. Saleem Baloch was
released from Rawalpindi after eight months of illegal
detention. After release Saleem Baloch issued a
statement that he was detained by the government law
enforcement agencies and was tortured in a brutal
manner. According to Saleem Baloch these agencies have
many other people in their custody who are ostensibly
known as missing.
The
operation which is being carried out in Balochistan
has been used as a justification by the government to
restrict the exercise of basic rights by the people to
obtain information. Neither a Pakistani newspaper nor
a TV channel can air the news about the plight of the
people of Balochistan. As a result outsiders do not
have any idea about Balochistan’s internal turmoil.
Munir Mengal who lived in Bahrain had decided to start
a television transmission from Bahrain to expose the
plight of Balochistan to the outside world. Revealing
the crimes of the government is itself considered an
unforgivable sin. Mengal was taken in custody by the
investigation agencies upon his arrival in Pakistan,
right from the airport on 7th April, 2006 and since
then his family members are waiting to see him.
A
young journalist Hayat Ullah-Khan who dared to go to
the tribal border areas for the news reporting of
American activities was also accused of committing the
crime because his reports were in contradiction with
the reports released by the government. This young
journalist was kidnapped by the agencies in December,
2005 and then his dead body was discovered months
after he went missing. According to the eye witnesses
who discovered the body, Hayat was savagely tortured
to death and such torture could only be carried out by
Pakistani investigation agencies.
Saleem Baloch, Munir Mengal and Hayat Ullah Khan are
just the very few examples. The circle of this state
bedevil is expanding with each passing day. Whether it
is a journalist or political worker, critic of the
government or student of Islamic school, anyone can be
declared as Islamic militant and legitimate target for
kidnapping by the government agencies. There is no
need for a warrant, investigation or evidence or due
process of law because being a critical of the
government Pakistani citizen is more than enough of a
reason to be held guilty.
According to the report of Human Rights Watch more
than four hundred people became the target of this
extra judicial arrest routine. More than seventy
people were abducted from Karachi only. Among these
people are included journalists, political workers,
scholars, doctors, students and people struggling for
their basic rights. These four hundred missing people
are not among those who became the direct prey of the
war against terrorism. There is no information
available regarding the whereabouts of these people.
Eye witnesses stated in majority of these cases of
“forced disappearances” that the victims were
kidnapped by the government agency officials. Amnesty
International, Human Rights Watch and other human
rights organization have condemned this attitude of
Pakistani government.
Human
rights agencies demand the Government of Pakistan to
pay attention to the deteriorating situation of human
rights. Pakistani officials respond to these requests
in the form of baton charge over the peaceful protest
rallies of the families of the detainees. Family
members of these missing people have been protesting
for the release of their beloved ones for a very long
period. The participants of the protest rally of 28th
December, 2005 among which the majority were children
and female relatives of these detainees were treated
with the baton charge and welcomed with tear gas. The
pictures of this savageness, which were published in
the newspapers around the world, sent shivering waves
down the spinal of everyone man and woman with the
slightest regard for humanity.
One
picture in particular gained lofty reputation for
Pakistani police. In this picture a fifteen year old
boy demanding the release of his father is shown. He
was punished for this disobedience when he was
stripped naked right on the road and received cans of
police on bare buttocks. Moreover, this picture also
illustrates a young, twelve year old girl who is
helplessly crying for mercy from concept dictator who
doesn’t know the concept of mercy. The Supreme Court
of Pakistan issued a warning to the government after
the publication of these pictures. However, will any
warning be ever effective on a dictatorial regime like
this?
According to the constitution of Islamic Republic of
Pakistan and the Charter of Human Rights the security
of the public is the responsibility of the government.
However, when a regime becomes the enemy of its own
people, when it sells its citizens for US$5000 each,
when the criticism on government policies becomes an
unforgivable crime how then can one protest and to
whom? Given the fact that the very existence of such
government contradicts with the constitution, how can
it be expected that this government will respect the
constitution?
These mysterious, “forced disappearances” is a grave
problem and its severity is soaring with each passing
day. This dilemma does not only concern the detainees
but it is also a crisis for their family members who
have been waiting for their beloved ones since ages.
The family members of the detainees are also doomed to
suffer the state of torture every day. It is the
responsibility of all Pakistani citizens to carry out
an organized protest before government targets another
citizen for abduction, torture and possible murder.
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