NAEEM KHAN, MEMBER OF MUTTAHIDA ORGANISING COMMITTEE, ATTEMPTS SUICIDE AS A RESULT OF THE "CONTINUED MENTAL AND PHYSICAL TORTURE IN ORDER TO FORCE HIM TO CHANGE HIS LOYALTIES" DURING CUSTODY IN HYDERABAD, PAKISTAN

London - 1 August 2001

You may recall that on 23 July 2001, we informed of the danger to the life of Mr Naeem Khan, Member of Muttahida Organising Committee in Hyderabad, who has been severely tortured while being illegally detained at the City Police Station in Hyderabad.

Yesterday, i.e. 31 July 2001, after being unlawfully detained and inhumanly tortured for the past one week, Mr Naeem Khan attempted to commit suicide to get away from the continued unbearable mental and physical torture inflicted upon him during custody in order to force him to change his political loyalties.

Please find enclosed a copy of the news appearing in Daily Dawn, a leading English Daily, from Karachi, Pakistan. In this news release you will find the personal version of Naeem Khan to the press from his Hospital bed.

This incident is not the only one; at present dozens of MQM workers are being tortured in official custody at different police lockups and torture chambers of the law enforcement agencies.