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13 April 2006
UA 92/06 Arbitrary arrest/possible "disappearance"/fear of torture
PAKISTAN Munir Mengal (m), TV station director
Munir Mengal, who reportedly has no links to any political party, was arrested by intelligence agents on 4 April at
Karachi airport. He has been preparing to launch a Baloch-language TV station, and this appears to be at least
part of the reason he was arrested. His whereabouts are unknown, and he is in danger of torture or
"disappearance".
Munir Mengal is the director of "Baloch Voice", the first independent Baloch-language satellite television channel.
Based in the United Arab Emirates, it is scheduled to start broadcasting in June. He has applied to the Pakistan
Electronic Media Regulatory Authority for a licence for the channel.
His relatives say that they were told by immigration officials that Munir Mengal was taken away by staff of the Inter
Services Intelligence (ISI), an intelligence service under the control of the army. They were told the same thing by
the Director of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). They believe that he may be held in the Malir Cantonment of
Karachi. Karachi-based journalists told the NGO Reporters without Borders, which campaigns for press
freedom, that intelligence agencies were investigating the source of funding for Baloch Voice.
His family have tried to file a complaint with police, but have not been allowed to do so. Staff at the Malir
Cantonment have refused to respond to the family’s request for information about his whereabouts.
Relatives also said that they had received threatening phone calls from people claiming to be from a government
agency.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Local people in Balochistan are demanding a bigger share of the revenue generated by the province's natural
resources, principally natural gas, which they believe now benefit other provinces. A number of Balochi groups
are seeking more rights for the province, some of which have resorted to violence, while others are campaigning
peacefully. The government has attempted to suppress this opposition by increasing the military presence in the
region. Many people have died at the hands of the security forces in extrajudicial executions and deaths in
custody, and dozens of people are reported to have “disappearedâ€.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible, in English or your own language:
- expressing concern for the safety of Munir Mengal, who was apparently arrested by the ISI on 4 April, and whose
whereabouts are now unknown;
- expressing concern that the police station where his family tried to register a complaint refused to accept it, and
calling for an investigation into this, with the officers responsible removed from duty;
- urging the authorities to reveal Munir Mengal's whereabouts and to ensure that he is not tortured or ill-treated;
- calling for him to be released immediately and unconditionally, unless he is charged with a recognizably
criminal offence.
