Rights body to take up student’s torture case

FAISALABAD: The National Commission on Human Rights, Pakistan, has decided to take up the issue of police torture of MSc (hons) degree holder Sheraz Nawaz.

Punjab Medical College Associate Professor (Forensic Medicine & Toxicology) Dr Khurram Sohail Raja, adviser to the commission on torture cases, told Dawn that it’s a typical case of police torture. “In Pakistan, police usually use a blunt weapon (chittar, slapping, rods) on the parts of the body as buttocks, back and front of chest, upper and lower limbs and if slapping is done on face then ear membranes may be damaged affecting the hearing capacity,” he said.

He said it’s irony that our governments were unable to control police force against torturing the public and parliamentarians instigate such types of tortures. “Sheraz has been subjected to torture in a case registered at an MPA’s behest,” said Dr Raja, who had served as district medico-legal officer for years and conducted a number of medical examinations of police torture victims.

Such cases, he said, would hit national interest as “currently Pakistan is enjoying GSP+ status given by the European Union to facilitate trade preferences of Pakistan and helps to foster growth in the income generation and job creation.” GSP+ is an incentive mechanism for certain countries including Pakistan to effectively implement certain international treaties and conventions in the areas including human rights. He said torture in police custody was a violation of the this facility conventions. “Convention 5 of the GSP+ restricts torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment (CAT)”.

The family of Sheraz and PML-N MPA Tahir Jamil had already reached an understanding on Wednesday, with the University of Agriculture Faisalabad administration playing a major role.

Dr Raja said if Pakistan remained unable to implement CAT and other conventions and if our public representatives continued torturing the public with the barbaric force of police, Pakistan would lose the status of GSP+ that would be a great loss for the country. He said the commission would take up this issue so that implementation of CAT could ensure protection of the masses from torture.

Published in Dawn, September 12th, 2015

Category: Custodial killing