By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Saturday called on Pakistani authorities to end their arbitrary arrests of political opposition activists and peaceful protesters.
Police have detained more than 4,000 supporters of the opposition Pakistan Tahreek -e-Insaf (PTI) party following violent protests over the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan in a land graft case.
A spate of violence erupted throughout the country and angry supporters set fire to buildings and vehicles and launched attacks on police, military, and civilian facilities. The clashes resulted in the loss of 10 lives, with authorities arresting thousands of PTI supporters.
The rights group said many opposition party members have been arbitrarily detained, while others have been charged under vague and overbroad laws prohibiting rioting and creating threats to public order.
“Pakistani authorities should release all those held for peaceful protest or supporting the political opposition and respect the due process rights of all those detained,” the rights group said in a statement.
Patricia Gossman, the group’s associate Asia director said the authorities should end their arbitrary arrests of political opposition activists and peaceful protesters.
“Anyone committing violence should be appropriately charged and their due process rights respected.”
Gossman also urged the authorities to display restraint and respect for human rights and the rule of law. “Fundamental guarantees of peaceful protest and due process should not become casualties of Pakistan’s political conflict,” she said.
A tense standoff continued between the police and Khan supporters in the eastern city of Lahore, raising concerns about further violence.
The rights group said the “United Nations Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials provide that security forces must use the minimum necessary force at all times”.
“In dispersing violent assemblies, firearms may only be used when using less harmful means are not practicable, and only to the minimum extent necessary. Law enforcement officers may only intentionally resort to lethal force when strictly unavoidable to protect life.”
On May 17, police arrested two former parliament members, Shireen Mazari, and Maleeka Bukhari. After the Islamabad High Court granted them bail, the police immediately rearrested them on new charges.
Mazari’s family members said that she has medical needs that require urgent attention.
“The authorities should release both women, drop all charges unless for a legally recognizable offense, and ensure that Mazari has immediate access to medical care.”
Pakistani law requires all detainees to be brought before a court within 24 hours, which is consistent with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Pakistan is a party.
The crackdown on PTI supporters was also taken up by Khan on Saturday. In his address through video link, the PTI chief said innocent people, protesting peacefully, were being thrown behind bars and asked under ‘what law this all is happening’.
The PTI chief also demanded an inquiry into the May 9 riots to identify ‘real culprits’ and played several video compilations, showing ‘how police disappeared and how people disembarked from army trucks and provoked the peaceful protesters to go violent’.
He said the government was not ready to talk about the death of 25 ‘innocent unarmed civilians and peaceful protesters were being picked up on the basis of geo-fencing. “Geo-fencing explains any person’s presence on the given location but not their involvement in any sabotage activity.”
He said the government should identify the ‘saboteurs and share their whereabouts and, if found to be PTI workers, he would himself ask them to appear before the courts’.
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