Musharraf visit: Brown must put pressure on to stop disaster

Amnesty International tells British Prime Minister to put human rights violations at the centre of today’s summit with the Pakistan President

Amnesty International UK has called on Prime Minister Gordon Brown to put human rights concerns at the centre of his meeting with Pakistan’s President Pervez Musharraf later today.

Pakistan is due to hold elections on 18 February. However, an Amnesty International delegation, which spent the last month in the country, has uncovered a worsening human rights crisis.

Amnesty International UK’s Director, Kate Allen, said:

"Our team has just come back from Pakistan and they have revealed a country heading towards a political crisis.

“Political violence is on the rise, detention without trial and enforced disappearances are becoming common place and there is the ongoing issue of impunity.

“If Gordon Brown is serious in his desire to see free and fair elections in Pakistan, he must put Amnesty International’s concerns at the centre of his discussions with Musharraf.”