PAKISTAN COUNTRY of ORIGIN INFORMATION (COI) REPORT COI Service
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PAKISTAN COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION (COI) REPORT COI Service 17 January 2011 PAKISTAN 17 JANUARY 2011 Contents Preface Latest News EVENTS IN PAKISTAN FROM 11 DECEMBER 2010 TO 14 JANUARY 2011 Useful news sources for further information REPORTS ON PAKISTAN PUBLISHED OR ACCESSED BETWEEN 11 DECEMBER 2010 AND 14 JANUARY 2011 Paragraphs Background Information 1. GEOGRAPHY............................................................................................................... 1.01 Map........................................................................................................................... 1.07 Telecommunications.............................................................................................. 1.08 Public holidays ....................................................................................................... 1.11 2. ECONOMY .................................................................................................................. 2.01 3. HISTORY..................................................................................................................... 3.01 4. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS: JANUARY TO DECEMBER 2010 ............................................. 4.01 5. CONSTITUTION............................................................................................................ 5.01 6. POLITICAL SYSTEM...................................................................................................... 6.01 Federal legislature.................................................................................................. 6.01 Provincial governments......................................................................................... 6.04 Pakistan Administered Kashmir (Azad Kashmir) ............................................... 6.05 Line of Control...................................................................................................... 6.10 Map .................................................................................................................. 6.14 Gilgit-Baltistan (formerly known as the Northern Areas) .................................. 6.15 Human Rights 7. INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................ 7.01 8. SECURITY SITUATION .................................................................................................. 8.01 US airstrikes............................................................................................................ 8.08 Militant activity........................................................................................................ 8.12 Balochistan (Baluchistan)..................................................................................... 8.22 Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) ....................................................... 8.31 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) (formerally known as the North West Frontier Province – NWFP) ............................................................................................................. 8.37 Pakistani Taliban .................................................................................................... 8.42 Sectarian violence.................................................................................................. 8.50 9. SECURITY FORCES ...................................................................................................... 9.01 Police ....................................................................................................................... 9.02 Armed forces .......................................................................................................... 9.05 Other government forces ...................................................................................... 9.08 Intelligence agencies............................................................................................ 9.11 Human rights violations by government forces ................................................. 9.13 Arbitrary arrest and detention .............................................................................. 9.14 Torture.................................................................................................................. 9.15 ii The main text of this COI Report contains the most up to date publicly available information as at 10 December 2010. Further brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 14 January 2011. 17 JANUARY 2011 PAKISTAN Extra-judicial killings............................................................................................. 9.21 Disappearances ................................................................................................... 9.25 Avenues of complaint ............................................................................................ 9.30 10. MILITARY SERVICE ...................................................................................................... 10.01 11. JUDICIARY .................................................................................................................. 11.01 Organisation ........................................................................................................... 11.01 Shariat Courts (Islamic law) ................................................................................. 11.09 Anti-terrorism act and courts................................................................................ 11.14 Military courts and the Army Act .......................................................................... 11.16 Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) ....................................................... 11.19 Tribal justice system............................................................................................. 11.22 Independence ......................................................................................................... 11.31 Fair trial.................................................................................................................... 11.33 Double jeopardy ................................................................................................... 11.38 Penal code............................................................................................................... 11.40 Qisas and Diyat ordinances ................................................................................. 11.41 Blasphemy laws...................................................................................................... 11.44 Hudood Ordinances ............................................................................................... 11.45 Code of criminal procedure................................................................................... 11.53 12. ARREST AND DETENTION – LEGAL RIGHTS .................................................................... 12.01 13. PRISON CONDITIONS ................................................................................................... 13.01 14. DEATH PENALTY ......................................................................................................... 14.01 15. POLITICAL AFFILIATION ............................................................................................... 15.01 Freedom of political expression ........................................................................... 15.01 Freedom of association and assembly ................................................................ 15.05 Opposition groups and political activists............................................................ 15.10 Politically motivated violence ............................................................................... 15.11 16. FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND MEDIA ................................................................................ 16.01 Journalists .............................................................................................................. 16.14 17. HUMAN RIGHTS INSTITUTIONS, ORGANISATIONS AND ACTIVISTS ..................................... 17.01 18. CORRUPTION .............................................................................................................. 18.01 National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) ........................................................... 18.05 National Accountability Bureau (NAB)................................................................. 18.09 19. FREEDOM OF RELIGION................................................................................................ 19.01 Demography............................................................................................................ 19.09 Constitution and legislation .................................................................................. 19.10 Blasphemy laws...................................................................................................... 19.14 Legal procedures for blasphemy charges............................................................ 19.31 Hudood Ordinances ............................................................................................... 19.33 Anti-terrorist laws................................................................................................... 19.34 Apostasy.................................................................................................................. 19.35 Interfaith marriage.................................................................................................