Geneva [Switzerland], March 21 : Muhammad Waleed, an activist of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement during his intervention at the 38th meeting of the ongoing 55th General Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) at Geneva Switzerland spoke at length about the torture inflicted by the Pakistani administration upon PTM leader Manzoor Ahmad Pashteen.
Waleed in his statement drew attention towards Pakistan's atrocities over the Pashtun community and its leader in Pakistan.
According to Waleed, "We would like to turn the council's attention towards the harassment, intimidation, enforced disappearance, arbitrary detention, and torture of Human Rights defender and PTM leader Manzoor Ahmad Pashteen by Pakistan Army and Police. On December 4, 2023, he was illegally arrested by the joint ISI-Police team in the Chaman district of Balochistan and was kept in custody incommunicado in different detention centres during colonial-era."
In his statement further, Waleed added by saying, "We have received very disturbing reports that while in police custody for more than three months Pashteen was tortured mentally and physically by keeping him awake for long hours. He was kept in a small lock-up reserved for terrorists and prisoners serving death sentences. The lock-up was open from two sides with strong winds in extreme winter conditions having nothing to cover up. He was beaten up and his hair were pulled."
"He was being held in poor, unhealthy, and unhygienic conditions with overcrowding and noise around his lock-up, inhumane physical inspections, and food lacking in nutrients. He was constantly threatened by the personnel of the Military Secret Services while in custody. Three other Human Rights defenders Gilaman Wazir, Zakim Wazir, and Eid ur Rehman Wazir were also kept in custody incommunicado and tortured for 7 months," he added.
Henceforth he requested the council to take up this issue of torture with the state of Pakistan which is a signatory to the UN Convention against Torture (signed the convention on April 17, 2008 and ratified on June 3, 2010), to find the culprits and punish them."
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