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Pakistan Admits To Holding 700 Alleged Militants Without Charges


Pakistani Attorney General Irfan Qadir (center) leaves the Supreme Court building in Islamabad. (file photo)
Pakistani Attorney General Irfan Qadir (center) leaves the Supreme Court building in Islamabad. (file photo)
Pakistan is holding 700 suspects without charges under a controversial security law.

On January 24, Attorney-General Irfan Qadir told the Supreme Court that the suspected militants were arrested in the western tribal regions where the army has been battling Islamist insurgents for years.

He added that the suspects will be held in military internment centers until the military operation is over.

This is the first time that a Pakistani official has detailed how many militants authorities hold under the Actions in Aid of Civil Power Regulations law.

That law, passed in 2011, has been opposed by Pakistani and international human rights campaigners.

An Amnesty International report in December condemned the law because it provided a framework for widespread human rights violations to occur with impunity.

Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, and AFP

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