The Case of Raza Kazim

To the Editors:

Raza Kazim, an internationally known Pakistani lawyer, was abducted from his home in Lahore by military intelligence on 9 January 1984. He was not charged with any crime. No authority in Pakistan will claim responsibility for his disappearance, although announcements of his arrest appeared in several Pakistani newspapers the day following his arrest. His whereabouts, the charges against him, and his condition remain unknown. To date, the martial law regime has not responded to a writ of habeas corpus filed on his behalf by a lawyers committee in Lahore over a month ago.

Reports of widespread torture and terror by those in power in Pakistan are frequent, and his family fears the worst about his condition. We, and several international human rights organizations, share their grave concern. Because hundreds of inquiries to the Pakistani authorities have produced no response yet, we are writing to ask your readers to continue to pursue this matter with the Pakistani authorities as well as with the American Secretary of State. Inquiries about Raza Kazim’s condition, and demands that he be able to see his family, lawyer, and personal physician—as well as a demand that he be charged formally or released—should be directed to: Lieutenant General Ghulam Jilani Khan, Punjab Martial Law Administrator, Lahore, Pakistan. Requests that the American government should pressure the Pakistan government to release information about Mr. Kazim should be directed to Mr. George Shultz, Secretary of State, Department of State, Washington, D.C.

Thank you very much for informing your readers of Mr. Kazim’s situation.

Eqbal Ahmad

Ramsey Clark

Richard Falk

Marcus Raskin

Edward Said

George Wald