As many as 1,100 cases
of police torture were reported in Pakistan during the
year 2004 of which police tortured 828 men, 180 women,
65 boys and 27 girls.
According to a report compiled by Madadgaar, a helpline
of Lawyers for Human Rights & Legal Aid (LHRLA), the
majority of such cases was reported from Punjab and Sindh
- 644 and 405 cases respectively, 8
cases reported from Balochistan and 43 cases from NWFP.
Report further indicates that 450 cases of illegal detention,
143 cases of murder, 41 cases of body mutilation, 328
acts of beating with a baton or whip, being hung upside
down by the ankles, punching and burning with cigarettes,
3 cases of burnt alive, 73 cases of police harassment,
30 cases of rape, 16 cases of stripping, 4 cases of sodomy
have been committed in police stations across the country.
Out of total 1,100 cases of police torture, in 230 cases
the victim was
tortured in jail while in 387 cases the place of abuse
was Police Station.
The monthly breakdown of torture cases shows that 57 cases
of police torture were reported in January, 32 in February,
37 in March, 62 in April, 50 in May, 128 in June, 138
in July, 185 in August, 113 in September, 113 in October,
100 in November and 85 during December 2004. City-wise
breakup of data shows that 217 cases of police torture
were reported in Lahore, 148 in Karachi, 70 in Hyderabad,
51 in Multan, 38 in Sukkur, 33 in Gujranwala, 22 each
in Peshawar, Islamabad and Khairpur, 25 cases in Larkana,
21 cases in Rawalpindi, 16 cases in Sialkot, 15 in Faisalabad,
14 in Dadu, 16 in Khanewal, 14 in Sahiwal, 12 each in
Sheikhupura and Vehari, 10 cases each in Hafizabad, Mirpurkhas
and Qambar Ali Khan.
