TNAG-0652-FCO40-801-Planning-Staff-papers-on-human-rights-and-foreign-policy-cou-1977 — Page 163

CONFIDENTIAL

PAKISTAN

Report by HM Embassy, Islamabad

Right No.

Rating suggested by Post

(i)

(ii)

(iii)

(iv)

Pakistan's is an authoritarian regime, but it strives to preserve the form, if not the substance, of democratic rule. Hence the pri- soner will normally be charged with some offence, and will be subjected to some legal process, possibly long drawn out. The political ob- jective of silencing an individual is often achieved more easily by charging him with criminal or civil offences.

Torture is certainly not official policy or common practice, but police methods are often harsh.

Officially slavery is quite un- acceptable, but there are reports occasionally of "slave camps" in remote parts of the country where gangs of kidnapped youths are com- pelled to work.

The government controls or exerts powerful influence over all domes-- tic communications media: what is objectionable does not appear, but mainly as a result of self- censorship.

Under the emergency

(in operation since 1971), opposi- tion access to the electorate" is heav- ily curtailed, and objectionable speeches punished.

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2

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(v).

There is a continuing tradition of judicial integrity, despite heavy personal pressures to toe the

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official line. Pakistan is prob- ably better than many developing countries, but standards are de- clining.

/(vi)

CONFIDENTIAL