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| India-Pakistan |
| Rights violations in Swat a concern: HRCP |
| 2010-08-07 |
| The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) expressed concerns over human rights violations in Swat in a report released on Thursday. The report of a fact-finding mission to Swat acknowledged improvement in the law and order situation in the militancy-hit region, but raised concerns over condition of detainees and performance of courts, expulsion of families of suspected militants from towns and reports of excesses by the security forces. Preliminary findings of the fact-finding mission had been released to the media earlier. The report, entitled "Swat: Paradise Regained?", highlights the specific concerns for women and children in the region, especially their psychological needs, and the need for compensating citizens whose properties have been taken over by the security forces and those who have been ordered not to cultivate their lands as they desire. The report notes concerns of the local population that the Taliban leadership continued to be at large and could stage a comeback once the army was withdrawn from Swat. The HRCP team learned that 1,000 to 2,600 individuals were in the security forces' custody in Swat and had not been produced in any court. |
| Posted by:Fred |