Former detainee Ahsan Arjmandi has claimed that he witnessed the Inter-Services Intelligence torturing two Baloch women to death in a torture cell. He claimed that the ISI was behind his disappearance and he was also tortured in a variety of ways during his time in custody.
Arjmandi, a Norwegian Baloch of Iranian descent, was “abducted” by the Pakistani security forces in August 2009 when he was travelling to Balochistan to meet his relatives. Pakistani authorities in Islamabad confirmed to the Norwegian embassy that Armandi was in their custody, but refused to give him up. He was released in August this year, exactly thirteen years after his disappearance.
Taking to Twitter, Arjmandi revealed how he was tortured during his time in custody. He said that he was allowed to rest for only two hours each day. He said that, like him, several others were also imprisoned in the torture cells. The security forces poured petrol and water over the faces of the detainees – a torture technique known as “waterboarding” – and electrocuted them. The gruesome torture resulted in the death of several detainees – two Baloch women among them.
Arjmandi said that in order to conceal their identities, the ISI personnel used specific codenames for each individual, making it virtually impossible for the detainees to identify each other. One Baloch journalist asked Arjmandi whether he could remember any of the names of the detainees. To this, he replied that his memory has deteriorated over time which has rendered him incapable of recalling the names of his fellow detainees.
Arjmandi said that he intends to sue Pakistan in the international court for his abduction. His brother said that his disappearance was mentally excruciating for his family members – his mother and sister died during this period, hopelessly waiting for the safe return of their loved one.