92pc male, 8pc female prisoners tortured in Pak jails: Survey

The presence of laws prohibiting torture and degrading people notwithstanding, about 92 percent of the male prisoners and nearly nine percent detained women in Pakistan are victims of physical torture by the police.

Lahore, Oct 1 : The presence of laws prohibiting torture and degrading people notwithstanding, about 92 percent of the male prisoners and nearly nine percent detained women in Pakistan are victims of physical torture by the police.

According to a survey on prisons conducted by Dr Waseem Haider, a PhD student at the University of Health Sciences (UHS), besides physical torture of 91.54 percent of men and 8.46 percent women, 12.14 percent of women prisoners were also subjected to psychological torture.

During the survey, Dr Haider examined 1,820 cases at the office of the Surgeon Medico Legal for alleged police torture in the past five years. He said women were being tortured all over the world, as men subjected them to violence at home, atrocities in war and abuse when jailed.

The study revealed that 16.42 percent of the youth aged between 15 to 19, 25.38 percent adults aged between 20 to 24 and 18.9 percent of adults aged between 25 to 29 years were tortured by the police, the Daily Times reported.

Dr Haider was quoted as saying that 18.62 percent of detainees were subject to mechanical violence - all forms of violence besides domestic violence - and blunt tools were most commonly used.

He said the reason for uncontrolled physical torture was the non-professional attitude of the police towards the prisoners, as people were not inducted in the police on merit.

The survey suggested that the labour class followed by the business community was most tortured by the police, adding that more people in the rural areas were subjected to torture as compared to the urban areas.

The torture techniques pointed out by Dr Haider includes rolling heavy objects over the prisoners, jumping on them, placing them on ice blocks, hanging them by their arms and hanging them upside down.

The parts of the body most frequently targeted by torture were buttocks, foot soles, back, front and back of thighs, palms and wrists.

He said such a high percentage of torture is taking place despite the presence of law forbidding torture and degrading people.

ANI