Bush must press Pak President for civilian rule

New Delhi, Sept 21: US President George W Bush should press Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf to restore civilian rule, hold free and fair elections and end legal discrimination against women, Human Rights Watch said today.

The Human Rights Watch urged both the countries to take concrete measures to end the practice of using enforced disappearances, arbitrary detention and torture as part of counterterrorism efforts.

The human rights watchdog appelaed to President Bush to stop turning a blind eye to Gen Musharraf's use of ''torture'' and "disappearances" in the fight against terrorism and in Pakistan's political conflicts.

The two leaders are scheduled to meet on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly on September 22.

''If President Bush is serious about fostering democracy in the Muslim world, how can he support Gen Musharraf's refusal to end military rule in Pakistan?'' Human Rights Watch Asia Director Brad Adams said.

''President Bush should make it clear that the US would not stand by as it did in the past when Gen Musharraf subverted the Pakistani constitution and staged flawed elections,'' he added.

The Pakistani constitution prohibits the Chief of the Army from holding a political office.

General Musharraf in 2003 had promised to step down as either the Army chief or President, but reneged the following year.

Mr Adams said the recent statements by the General and the military-backed politicians have made clear that he intends to stay on both the posts beyond the date set for elections in 2007.

''They have also suggested that he could be somehow re-elected president by the outgoing Parliament, which may try to extend its term unilaterally by one year to do so in 2008,'' he added.

Despite many commitments, President Musharraf has thus far failed to end legal discrimination against women, the US-based human rights watchdog said.

''The infamous Hudood Ordinances, among other things, criminalize adultery and non-marital sex in Pakistan. Under this set of laws, thousands of women have been imprisoned for so-called honor crimes, including rape and sexual assault against them, the HRW said.

The laws have rendered most victims of sexual assault unable to seek redress through the criminal justice system and it deems these women guilty of illegal sex rather than victims of unlawful sexual abuse or violence, it added.

The Human Rights Watch pointed out that earlier this month, the Musharraf-backed ruling party, the Pakistan Muslim League, reached an agreement with the moderate opposition Pakistan Peoples Party to make procedural changes to the Hudood Ordinances that would allow women charged with adultery to post bail. ''These reforms would also permit rape victims to file charges under the criminal law instead of religious law, which requires producing four male witnesses to prove rape. But last week Gen Musharraf backtracked on the accord to seek an agreement with the Islamist Muttaheda Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) alliance, which opposes any meaningful changes. As a result, the Hudood Ordinances remain in place.'' ''If Gen Musharraf wanted to end legal discrimination against women, he could do so by seeking support from the majority of the National Assembly members who favor legal reforms,'' said Mr Adams.

''Instead, he sought an alliance with the Islamist political parties that have made clear their opposition to women's rights.'' In response to domestic and international criticism, the government announced on Tuesday that it would submit the bill in its original form to the National Assembly in late September or early October, he pointed out.

''Promises about reform of the Hudood Ordinances have been made and broken many times already... This is the last chance for the government to show its sincerity,'' he added.

The Human Rights Watch noted that the Pakistani military is the country's leading violator of human rights.

''Under Gen Musharraf, military impunity for abuses has increased dramatically. These abuses include extrajudicial killings, torture, arbitrary arrests and the persecution of political opponents,'' it said.

''The Pakistan's military and its intelligence agencies have tortured and forcibly disappeared dozens of people in the volatile southwestern province of Balochistan where they have been facing an armed rebellion by tribal militants operating under the umbrella of the Balochistan Liberation Army,'' it said.

''Perpetrators of torture must be removed from Pakistan's security forces and prosecuted,'' Mr Adams said.

The Human Rights Watch has also investigated a pattern of ''disappearances'', arbitrary detention and torture in counter terrorism operations in Karachi, Lahore and other major cities and towns in Pakistan.

''Some of these cases have involved US law enforcement or intelligence agents. Just as the United States has done with high value suspects, Pakistan has continued to disappear suspects in the campaign again terrorism and other conflicts,'' it added.

UNI