Illegal Detention in Pakistan: Private Detention Centres and the Failure of Police Accountability

The law is very clear: any person arrested must be produced before a court within 24 hours.

This requirement is not only provided under the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) but is also explicitly guaranteed by the Constitution of Pakistan, 1973. The Constitution leaves no ambiguity, detaining a person beyond 24 hours without producing them before a magistrate is illegal detention.

What Happens When the Law Is Violated?

When a person is not produced before the court within 24 hours, lawyers usually respond by:

  • Filing a Habeas Corpus petition

  • Seeking an urgent bail before arrest

  • Approaching the police station to rescue the detainee

However, in many cases, these legal remedies fail for two reasons:

  1. The person is not found in the police station

  2. The police suddenly show a backdated arrest after days of illegal confinement

Both situations point to a much deeper and more dangerous problem.

The Reality of Private Detention Centres

In many cases, detainees are not kept in official lockups at all. Instead:

  • Private detention centres are maintained by police units

  • CIA and other departments reportedly use unofficial buildings

  • Some police stations have basements within basements, hidden behind cupboards or false walls

  • Detainees are concealed in such a way that even inspections fail to detect them

In some police stations, an almirah (cupboard) is shown as storage for “important documents,” while behind it exists another hidden basement where human beings are illegally confined.

This practice is a gross violation of law, human dignity, and constitutional rights.

Arrests Shown After Days of Illegal Detention

In many cases, a person is kept for several days in custody, but the police only show the arrest later to align with the daily police diary (Roznamcha).

This manipulation of records is done to give illegal detention a false appearance of legality.

What Needs to Be Done Immediately?

To stop illegal detention and private detention centres, the following steps are essential:

  • Complete mapping of all police station premises, including basements and sub-basements

  • Official, on-record building maps and layouts for every police station

  • Absolute prohibition and demolition of private detention centres

  • Immediate legal action against officers maintaining empty or manipulated Roznamcha registers

  • Seizure of incomplete or blank daily diaries and initiation of criminal proceedings against responsible officers

The Legal Way Forward

To address these systemic abuses, a constitutional writ petition is being prepared. This petition will aim to:

  • Declare private detention centres illegal

  • Enforce strict compliance with the 24-hour rule

  • Ensure transparency in arrest records

  • Protect citizens from enforced disappearances and custodial abuse

A Call for Collective Support

This is not an individual fight, it is a fight for rule of law and human dignity. Support from lawyers, journalists, human-rights defenders, and concerned citizens is crucial to bring this issue before the courts and the public.

Illegal detention must end.
Private detention centres must be dismantled.
And the Constitution must be enforced, not ignored.

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