SOS

LIVES IN DANGER: TORTURE AND DISAPPEARANCE OF MQM WORKERS IN HYDERABAD, PAKISTAN

London -- 18 July 2001

Untold atrocities by the Pakistani establishment upon the MQM workers, leaders and supporters are continuing unabated in Sindh Province, southern Pakistan.

The case in point is the arrest and disappearance of Kamran Ahmed s/o Mohammad Buksh, 27 years old worker of unit 13, Sector D, Hyderabad, Sindh province.  Police and para-military rangers raided the house of Kamran Ahmed on 16 June 2001.  They ransacked the house, tortured his family members and arrested him.  Over one month is past but the authorities have not brought him to any court of law nor have they indicated as to why he was arrested.  Despite several attempts by his family members and fellow party workers the authorities have not divulged his whereabouts. 

Reports have just reached us that further two office bearers of MQM, Feroze Khanzada s/o Abdul Qadeer Khanzada of Tando Allayar and Shahab Ikram s/o Ikram Uddin of Hyderabad are also arrested by the law enforcement agencies on 15^th July and 17^th July respectively.  The authorities have refused to disclose their whereabouts.

We seriously fear that the lives of these three workers are in real danger.

We appeal to the International community and human rights organisations worldwide to raise their voice against the persistent persecution of the MQM members and its supporters by the Establishment in Pakistan and also use their influence to save the lives of the above-mentioned innocent MQM workers.