HRCP urges moving Dr. Sarki closer to home

Press release - 8 February 2008                                                     

Lahore: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has called upon the federal law ministry to move Dr. Safdar Sarki, the detained General Secretary of Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz (JSQM), from Zhob to a prison in Sindh and provide him urgently needed medical treatment.  

In a letter, the commission expressed concern at the risks to the life and health of Dr. Sarki, on account of his medical condition and his detention in a jail in far-flung and very cold Zhob district of Balochistan. Dr. Sarki is suffering from retinal degeneration (losing eyesight) on account of consistent blindfolding, as well as arthritis and hernia. HRCP urged the government to shift Dr. Sarki to his native Sindh province, where the weather would be less harsh. The organization demanded that Dr. Sarki should also be given regular access to his relatives and colleagues and provided necessary medicines immediately. 

Dr. Sarki was taken away by security personnel from a relative’s flat in Karachi on February 24, 2006. For a year and a half he remained missing and on the HRCP list of “disappeared” persons before the Supreme Court. 

After denying his custody for a long time, the security agencies finally produced Dr. Sarki in court in October 2007, along with two other missing Sindhi nationalist. Police then officially “arrested” all three. Dr. Sarki was charged with possessing explosives. He was granted bail on November 02, 2007, but was never released.  

Iqbal Haider

General Secretary

Trend Analysis of Human Rights Violations-2005 & 2006

Every year the HRCP international and local interns embark on different quests to look for answers. Their researches not only help them learn about the state of affairs of human rights in Pakistan, but help them gain insight on a wider spectrum. Their work is also helpful for us and others who come across it. Following is a concise trend analysis on human rights violations observed over the 2005-2006 time period, done by Aleyha Ahmed, one of our international interns for the year 2007.

Important: The numbers available in our database, compiled through an extensive nationwide network, are still covering a fraction of the actual incidents due to lack of reporting, incomplete information, and a culture of concealment and non-reporting - the last two reasons stem from a fear of dishonour, retribution, threats and lack of information - indicating that the numbers are far higher.

 Trend Analysis of Human Rights Violations- 2005 & 2006
Report By Aleyha Ahmed, HRCP Intern 2007