Amnesty International said yesterday that the global "war on terror" has led to new patterns of disappearances in South Asia, where authorities are removing suspects secretly and without explanation.
The human rights group said in a new report that Pakistan had overseen the "enforced disappearance" of several hundred people as part of the "war on terror," and that the country was broadening its sweep to detain other opponents.
In Sri Lanka, the report said, there was a new pattern of state agents seizing opponents, after new emergency regulations giving security forces new powers were introduced a year ago as part of the "war on terror."
"Enforced disappearance is a gross violation of international human rights and humanitarian law. It affects not only the victims, but also takes a heavy toll on their families," said Catherine Baber, deputy Asia Pacific director at Amnesty International.
"Relatives are left to agonize over the fate of their loved ones in the face of official denials and contradictions," she said.
Amnesty and other human rights groups have previously criticized governments of South Asia, Africa and elsewhere for secretly arresting, detaining and questioning civilians, under whatever pretext.
Amnesty said that, of those arrested in Pakistan in the "war on terror," some eventually were found to be held by US authorities in Guantanamo Bay, but others were still missing.
"In at least one case, the body of a victim of enforced disappearance was found six months after he had been captured," the report said.
In a new development, disappearances of Baluch and Sindhi nationalists are now being reported, said Amnesty researcher Anjelika Pathak, who has toured Pakistan to gather information.
"This is not an easy subject to investigate because the authorities are secretive about it," said Pathak, who has interviewed relatives, victims, lawyers, journalists and human rights groups in Pakistan.
"We feel the fact that there was no outcry over the `war on terror' arrests made it easier for Pakistani authorities to pick up others," Pathak said.
Pakistan's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam said authorities were responding to the threat of terrorism.
"We have a problem of terrorism and obviously in most cases you can't wait for something to happen," Aslam said. "On the basis of information or suspicions, people are detained for investigations. I don't say they are people who have disappeared though."
"When you try to balance between the need to fight and prevent terrorism and personal freedoms there is a challenge there for everybody, not only Pakistan," Aslam said.
She said she was unaware of individual cases of people disappearing but would study the Amnesty report for any cited cases to be followed up.
In Sri Lanka, the report said, the Human Rights Commission has registered 62 enforced disappearances in the north of the country over the past year, and is investigating the status of 183 other individuals who are still missing in unknown circumstances.
For example, on May 6, eight men from the Tamil minority did not return home after going to decorate a Hindu temple for a religious festival. Their whereabouts remain unknown.
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