Summary
Mr. Yousaf
Naz, a converted Christian (minority in the country), who
had earlier exposed a case of corruption at a district
council meeting, has been kidnapped and tortured twice
since March 2004. During the second kidnapping on 26 May,
he was threatened to be killed in front of an influential
District Councilor, Mr. Raja Ifthikar, whom he had
reportedly exposed.
Although he managed to escape from his kidnappers on both
occasions, Mr Yousaf was forced to flee to another
district and his family has been living in fear since
then. It was reported that the police refused to lodge a
First Information Report (FIR) against the culprits who
are still moving freely.
Mr. Yousaf has recently approached non-government
organizations due to lack of positive response from the
police. The family fears for their security and is asking
for protection.
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Action Requested
Please
write polite letters expressing your concern on the
kidnappings and the threats to Mr. Yousaf Naz's and his
brother's life. Urge the authorities to:
Conduct
an immediate and impartial investigation into the
case;
Ensure
necessary measures are taken for the security of
the family; and
Take
steps to ensure the rights of people are equally
protected by the police.
| Send
letters to: |
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H.E.
Prevez Musharaf,
President of Pakistan
Presidents House,
Islamabad, PAKISTAN |
Fax: |
(92)
51-9203938
(92) 51-9211018 |
| Send
copies to: |
|
|
Mr.
Pervaiz Elahi,
Governor of Punjab,
Governor House,
Lahore, PAKISTAN |
Fax: |
(92) 42-92030442 |
| Diplomatic
Representatives of Pakistan in your country. |
|
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Sample
Letter
We write with great concern about the
abduction and attempted murder of Mr. Yousaf Naz
and his brother Mr. Sakeel Shehraz, from Khewra
District Jehlum, Punjab.
Mr. Yousaf was kidnapped near his home at on 15
March 2004, but managed to escape. On 26 May, he
was again taken to an isolated area near Pindi
Bhatian (South of Khewra) together with his
brother Mr. Sakeel Shehraz, and both were
threatened to be killed. They were able to escape
and were sheltered by two young men who were
reportedly murdered after the event. It was
alleged that they were tortured and threatened by
Mr. Raja Ifthikar, a District Councilor, and his
men due to some disputes involving misuse of
funds.
Since then, Mr. Yousaf and his family have been
living in fear, as the police reportedly refused
to register their cases and no perpetrators have
been arrested.
We urge your office to:·
- Ensure
that an immediate and impartial
investigation into these cases are
initiated and those responsible be
brought to justice;
- Ensure
that necessary measures are taken for the
security of the family; and
- Take steps
to ensure equal protection of rights by
the police
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Background
Mr. Yousaf
Naz belongs to a family who converted to Christianity (Hindu-Christian).
He has been elected as member of the Town Committee four
times since 1979. He has served as coordinator of welfare
organizations and editor of a magazine. At present he is
an elected member of the sub-district Council for Pind
Dadan Khan (near Rawalpindi, north Punjab).
Mr. Raja Ifthikar Shahzad is the District Councilor for
Pind Dadan Khan, and head of the Council House, where
elected members of the district council meet regularly to
discuss issues related to the district. He is believed to
have contacts with high officials of the police
departments, and with the high officials of the monetary
institutions that sanction funds.
The dispute between Mr. Yousaf and Mr. Raja reportedly
began at a Council House meeting in February 2004, when
Mr Yousaf made a request for funds for the Christian
Community, which was approved.
However, the funds sanctioned for the Christians were not
received by Mr. Yousaf and during the Council House
meeting on 9 March, he asked for them. An argument
allegedly broke out which exposed that the funds have
been misused by Mr. Raja. The issue was brought to public
attention and later led to the exposure of the previous
misuse of other funds, which no one had openly condemned
at that time; they were reportedly afraid of Mr. Raja's
influence on many important people.
A few days later, on 15 March, Mr Yousaf was kidnapped by
four armed men near his home and beaten up. These men
also forcibly entered his stationery store and destroyed
his goods. Mr Yousaf managed to escape when some men
heard him screaming in the car. He tried to report to the
police but they did not register the case.
In April, the newspapers started to publish about the
misuse of funds by Mr. Raja and the Council began to
condemn his acts and support Mr. Yousaf. When this issue
was brought to the Tehsil (sub-division district) Council
House, the members unanimously condemned the act of Mr.
Raja.
Meanwhile, Mr. Raja, and some religious extremists,
allegedly tried to use religion to involve Mr. Yousaf in
baseless blasphemy cases. They were not successful
because many people in the area and the Council House
support Mr. Yousaf and they fear further disputes among
these groups. At the same time, according to the source,
Mr. Raja was also afraid that the blasphemy cases might
give him more coverage or he might be highlighted in the
corruption cases.
On 26 May 2004, Mr. Yousaf was again kidnapped, with his
younger brother Mr. Sakeel Shehraz. They were taken 200
miles away from their home to an isolated area near Pindi
Bhatian (South of Khewra) and put into a private jail.
They were reportedly tortured and threatened to be killed
in front of Mr. Raja Ifthikar.
The brothers managed to escape from the illegal custody
and took shelter with the help of two young men. These
two young men were later reported to be murdered by the
kidnappers.
After the incident, the brothers were forced to flee to
Jehlum a few Kilometers away from Khewra. For 4 months,
he has been hiding for his safety. His family was also in
fear due to the 2 kidnappings. Their shops were
destroyed, causing financial loss. It was reported that
police chief was approached but, again, with no positive
response.
In August Mr. Yousaf began to approach non-government
organizations to ask for safety and justice. He reported
that the police took no notice against the culprits. He
claimed that Mr. Raja has influence over the police and
that he might have bribed them.
Sources:
Local sources
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