Friends,
Following letter is drafted to seek signatures of those who would like to see Dr. Safdar Sarki free from custody of Pakistani authorities.
Feel free to use this text or modify to your liking before mailing hard copy to the office of US Secretary of State.
Thanks.
Iqbal Tareen
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March 6, 2006
The Honorable Dr. Condoleezza Rice
Secretary of State
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20520
Dear Dr. Rice:
We are Citizens of United States and we seek your immediate attention and intervention in matter of another US Citizen – Dr Safdar Sarki. Dr. Sarki is a human rights activist and a resident of El Campo, TX. During his visit to Karachi, Pakistan, Dr. Sarki was arrested for unknown reason. On Friday, Feb 24th, 2006, his temporary residence in Karachi was raided by some unidentified Pakistani authorities. Witness
says that Dr. Safdar Sarki was severely beaten, and his luggage, along with US passport and laptop was confiscated. He was taken in unmarked vehicle to undeclared destination. Since then no one knows about his
whereabouts.
Previously, Pakistan Government has been engaged in such types of arbitrary arrests, torture and extra-judicial killing of democracy loving activists belonging to province of Sindh. According to a Country Reports on Human Rights Practices – Released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor on March 8, 2006, “Pakistan’s human rights record continued to be poor, despite President Musharraf’s stated commitment to democratic transition and “enlightened moderation.” Restrictions remained on freedom of movement, expression, association, and religion. Progress on democratization was limited.
During elections for local governments in 2005, international and domestic observers found serious flaws, including interference by political parties, which affected the outcome of the vote in parts of the country. Police detained approximately 10 thousand Pakistan People’s Party activists in April prior to the arrival for a rally of Benazir Bhuto’s husband, Asif Ali Zardari. The security forces committed extrajudicial killings, violations of due process, arbitrary arrest, and torture. Corruption was pervasive throughout the
government and police forces, and the government made little attempt to combat the problem. Security force officials who committed human rights abuses generally enjoyed de facto legal impunity”
In war against terrorism, Pakistan government and especially President Musharraf enjoys almost unconditional support of US government. I am afraid Pakistani authorities might be using our collective goodwill against individual US citizens. We are deeply concerned about Dr. Safdar’s safety and fear he might become a victim of torture. Although an appeal has been filed in local Pakistani court but nothing has been
heard from Pakistani authorities so far.
I request you to intervene in this situation and take up this issue with President Musharraf of Pakistan to secure a release of your own fellow citizen.
We look forward to reaching an immediate resolution of this issue through your kindest help.
Sincerely,