ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senior leader and former HR minister Shireen Mazari has once again taken up the issue of alleged constant violations of international conventions and laws by ‘illegally detaining and custodial torturing’ of PTI Senator Azam Swati with the world human rights bodies, demanding his early release.

In an open letter addressed to the Human Rights Committee, Geneva and the Special Rapporteur on Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 34/19), the PTI leader has highlighted the recent arrest and ‘subsequent torture’ on Swati.

“Pakistan has been engulfed in a political crisis in the aftermath of a ‘regime change scheme’ to remove the government of PM Khan and replace it with a combined opposition government with a bloated cabinet comprising primarily of members out on bail,” she wrote.

She further wrote that the government, ‘backed by the Establishment’, has responded with repressive measures, especially in the wake of PTI sweep of a series of by-elections held on 17 July in the province of Punjab “despite a concerted effort of rigging by the government, the Election Commission of Pakistan and the State.”

“I had written to you in August 2022 drawing your attention to the abduction, subsequent arrest and custodial torture on Dr Shahbaz Gill, but unfortunately there seemed to have been little response, which has erroneously signalled to the government it can continue with impunity the use of custodial torture including against the leadership of the PTI,” Mazari wrote.

She wrote that according to his own statement, given before the media while being presented to the magistrate court, Swati was stripped and tortured for his crime to post one tweet (attached below) criticising the army chief by name.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022