[Dawn] "ON the one side is the army, they enter houses without any warnings and arrest people without any reason. On the other hand everyone is terrified of the Taliban; at any time they might kidnap you, or kill you. Everyone was saying that the army will come and improve the situation in Bajaur but instead people are as frightened of the army [as they were of] the Taliban."These are the words of Rostum Khan, a villager from Bajaur Agency, aka Turban Central
...Smallest of the agencies in FATA. The Agency administration is located in Khar. Bajaur is inhabited almost exclusively by Tarkani Pashtuns, which are divided into multiple bickering subtribes. Its 52 km border border with Afghanistan's Kunar Province makes it of strategic importance to Pakistain's strategic depth...
in Pakistain's north-western tribal areas -- they reflect the harsh daily reality facing millions of people in the region.
In 2009, the Pakistain armed forces launched a series of military operations in the tribal areas to reclaim territory that was under the control of gangs. Three years later, despite a relative lull in the direct fighting between the army and the Taliban, there has been no let-up for the people there.In an extensively researched report, released today by
Like Rostum Khan, many feel trapped between the worst of both worlds -- by threats from the Taliban on the one hand, and from the risk of arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance on the other. Many who hoped the situation would improve after 2009 are badly disillusioned.
Thousands of men and boys have been tossed in the clink
Drop the rod and step away witcher hands up!
by the security forces for long periods with little or no access to due process safeguards.
Many of them are subjected to enforced disappearance -- they are kept without access to family, lawyers, the courts and with no information about their fate and whereabouts. On any given day, the Beautiful Downtown Peshawar
...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province), administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire.
High Court is full of relatives desperately trying to find any information on their loved ones.
Others swept up by the army allege being tortured or otherwise ill-treated in jug. Former detainees we talked to described being at the receiving end of daily savage beatings for several weeks, or even months, at a time.
Some never return alive --
Equally disturbing is the almost complete failure of Pakistain's authorities to effectively investigate these cases as required under international law. As far as
The infamous case of the so-called Adiala 11 is both an illustrative and chilling example of the situation.
The 11 men were first unlawfully detained by security personnel in 2007 and 2008 in different parts of Pakistain. In May 2010, they were kidnapped from Rawalpindi's Adiala prison by gunnies -- right in front of family members waiting for their release, which had been ordered by the Lahore High Court.
It wasn't until relatives brought their case to the Supreme Court in 2011 that the armed forces admitted that the men were still in state custody. After further pressure, seven of the Adiala 11 were dramatically brought before the Supreme Court in February 2012 in visibly poor physical condition -- the other four had died in unknown circumstances that have yet to be effectively investigated. The seven survivors remain in state custody, with serious concerns for their wellbeing.
At the heart of this crisis is a legal system in the tribal areas which excludes the enforcement of human rights
...which are often intentionally defined so widely as to be meaningless...
protections by the courts and allows the armed forces to operate with impunity.
The Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) are still being governed under the draconian colonial-era Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR), while acts of parliament still do not apply to the region, effectively cutting off its people from national political life. A new set of laws introduced in 2011, the Actions (in Aid of Civil Power) Regulations (AACPR), give the armed forces even broader powers to arrest and detain in Fata and the tribal areas in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central...
in a manner that violates international law.
The AACPR seeks to exclude Pakistain's high courts and parliament from jurisdiction over armed forces' actions in the tribal areas. Although the courts have nevertheless heard cases challenging the lawfulness of some detentions, there have been no prosecutions of armed forces personnel for alleged torture, enforced disappearance or deaths in jug.
Even where alleged Taliban suspected of human rights abuses have been locked away
You have the right to remain silent...
and detained, the authorities have a very poor record of prosecuting them and achieving accountability for such abuses before the courts.
The Pakistain government must urgently address the deeply flawed legal system in the tribal areas, and tackle head on the absence of rule of law exploited by state and non-state perpetrators alike. Undoubtedly, Pakistain faces major challenges in the region in confronting persistent violence by gangs, re-establishing civil authority and infrastructure after years of conflict, and addressing a continuing humanitarian crisis.
But the authorities can and must take immediate steps to institute the rule of law in the region. All detainees must be given access to families, lawyers and the courts; the AACPR must be repealed; the FCR repealed or amended in a way to be in line with international human rights standards; and the jurisdiction of the courts and parliament extended to the tribal areas.
Without urgent steps to make the armed forces accountable before the law and protect the human rights of millions living in the tribal areas, the grip of perpetual lawlessness in the region will never be loosened.