13 March 2000

Mr Bill Clinton
President of the United States of America
The White House
1600, Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington D C 20500
USA

RE: DR FAROOQ SATTAR, FORMER MAYOR OF KARACHI, FORMER PARLIAMENTARY LEADER OF MQM IN PROVINCIAL ASSEMBLY OF SINDH AND PROVINCIAL MINISTER IN THE CABINET OF THE PROVINCE OF SINDH

I would like to draw your attention to my letter of 21 February 2000 that was written to seek your indulgence to kindly pursue the Military Government of General Parvez Musharraf to provide a fair and transparent trial to Dr Farooq Sattar. I noted that yours and your Government’s efforts in voicing for a fair and transparent trial to be extended to the deposed Prime Minister of Pakistan Mohammad Nawaz Sharif by the Military Government. I also note the concerns and the personal interest of the Under Secretary of State for South Asia to have eloquently raised the matter of fair trial to Mr Nawaz Sharif and personally speaking to Mr Hussain Nawaz, son of the deposed Prime Minister over the telephone, reported in the newspapers in Pakistan. He assured him that you would personally raise this issue during your forthcoming visit to Pakistan with the Chief Executive, General Parvez Musharraf.

The details of arrest and treatment to Dr Farooq Sattar at Attock Fort are comprehensively covered in my letter of 21 February 2000. I now write to you to request you, once again, to impress upon the Chief Executive General Parvez Musharraf to extend an open, fair and transparent trial to Dr Farooq Sattar in a normal court of law instead of a trial in incommunicado inside Attock Fort in a special court set-up by the Military Government.

Dr Farooq Sattar has been falsely accused in a fabricated Octroi case and deserves a fair and transparent trial similar to the kind you demand for the deposed Prime Minister Mr Sharif of the Government of Pakistan. The treatment meted to Dr Farooq Sattar is in total violations of the Constitution of Pakistan, Universal Charter of Human Rights and plethora of International Laws. His transfer from Karachi to Attock Fort is also in total contravention of the law of the land that prescribes trial of the accused in the city where an FIR has been registered. It is very difficult for his lawyers to travel more than a thousand mile from Karachi to Attock. Nawaz Sharif is being tried in Karachi because his FIR was registered in Karachi. A chronology of events leading to and after the unlawful arrest of Dr Farooq Sattar is enclosed for your perusal.

I hope that you would kindly raise your voice against these violations of human rights of Dr Farooq Sattar and request Government of Pakistan to adhere to the Constitution of Pakistan and international laws by providing an open, fair and transparent trial to Dr Farooq Sattar and his transfer to Karachi from Attock Fort in NWFP bordering Punjab.

CHRONOLOGY OF DR FAROOQ SATTAR'S UNLAWFUL CONFINEMENT UNDER THE NATIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY BUREAU

17 November 1999	Illegal and unlawful raid at the house of Dr Farooq Sattar by the personnel of paramilitary forces and law enforcement agencies.
26 November 1999	Dr Farooq Sattar volunteered his arrest in Karachi and was immediately taken to unknown destination
3 December 1999	Mr Abdul Sattar Pirwani, father of Dr Farooq Sattar filed a habeas corpus petition in the High Court of Sindh.
7 December 1999	Court issued notices to Advocate General Sindh and Deputy Attorney General of Pakistan.
14 December 1999	Despite of Court Orders, Dr Farooq Sattar not produced in the Court.
21 December 1999	Again Dr Farooq Sattar not produced before the Court.
27 and 29 December 1999	Dr Farooq Sattar was not produced before the Courts. Hearing adjourned till 3 January 2000.
3 January 2000	Dr Farooq Sattar not produced once again.
4 January 2000	Finally Dr Farooq Sattar was produced before the Court. Advocates and family members were allowed to meet him.
7 February 2000	Produced in National Accountability Court (NAC) II, in Karachi. NAB Investigation Officer obtained remand for 14 to 15 days till second production, i.e. till 22 February 2000.
10 February 2000	Kept for 77 days at the Malir Cantonment Area without any investigation. Shifted to MPA Hostel's NAB Police Station. Kept there for 11 days.
21 February 2000	Instead of producing Dr Farooq Sattar at NAC II at Karachi for judicial custody or judicial remand to Karachi Prison on 22 February 2000, he was produced unintimatedly, a day earlier at the NAC II. He was kept sitting in the mobile and from their he was rushed to the Karachi Airport to be taken to Islamabad via PIA Flight of 4 p.m. Thereon he was shifted to Attock Fort.
23 February 2000	Dr Farooq Sattar completed his ninety (90) days of detention without any investigation at Attock Fort.
24 February 2000	Produced before the NAC Attock without any prior notice. The reference was finally served. Sent to the Attock Fort Subjail under judicial custody for 14 days. Next date for production set for 9 March 2000.
28 February 2000	Shifted to a regular Attock Jail.
9 March 2000	He was produced before the NAC Attock.
25 March 2000	Date fixed by the NAC Attock for next hearing of the case.