E/CN.4/1992/17 page 59 she was allegedly beaten and ill-treated. Shehla Raza was arrested on 27 December 1990. Whilst in custody she was allegedly subjected to torture and intimidation. On 31 December 1990 she was ordered released by the Sind High Court, but was rearrested by police on 5 January 1991. Letters 171. On 17 April 1991 the Special Rapporteur sent a letter to the Government of Pakistan transmitting information according to which several persons had recently been subjected to torture in order to force them to give statements against leading members of the ousted Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), including the former Prime Minister and her husband. The Special Rapporteur's attention was drawn in particular to three affidavits concerning Zahid Saeed, Atif Manzoor, alias s/o Manzoor Hussain, and Najam-ul-Hasan. Zahid Saeed was reportedly arrested by Saddar police during the night between 23 and 24 December 1990 in Karachi, and taken away by agents of the Criminal Investigation Agency (CIA). Several days later he was seen by his wife in a poor physical condition, with wound marks and bandages on his legs and hands. Mr. Saeed reportedly told his wife that he had been tortured and forced to sign various statements against himself and other PPP and People's Student Federation leaders. Atif Manzoor, alias s/o Manzoor Husain was arrested on 11 April 1990 by the CIA police in Karachi and later transferred to the Central Prison in Karachi. On 2 October 1990 he was again taken to the CIA Police centre, where he was allegedly severely beaten and tortured. Other detainees, named Ali, s/o Attar Khan, Naim-Ul Hasan, alias Babar Jamali s/o Ghulam (who was arrested on 11 June 1990) and Noor Nabi Abbasi, were also allegedly subjected to similar treatment. According to the sources, the purpose of the alleged torture was to extract statements against Mr. Arif Ali Zardari (Ms. Benazir Bhutto's husband) and other opposition leaders. 172. On 18 October 1991 the Special Rapporteur sent a letter to the Government of Pakistan transmitting information according to which torture in police custody of persons suspected of criminal or political offences was a common practice. Detainees were reportedly often kept in incommunicado detention for several days, during which time they were subjected to intimidation and ill-treatment. Methods of torture included: suspending prisoners by their ankles; beating them on the soles of their feet, ankles, knees and head; rolling heavy logs over their legs; giving electric shocks; burning the body with cigarettes; pulling out hair; threatening execution; threatening to harm relatives; deprivation of food and sleep; and rape. 173. In particular, the case of Atif Iqbal Bokhari, aged 18, was reported. He was arrested on 12 May 1989 in Kasur, Punjab province, by the local police. While in their custody, he was hung head downwards and was struck on the feet with a stick; he was also made to lie on the floor and a roller was pressed down and moved heavily over his bare thighs and legs. After several repetitions of this treatment, he fell unconscious and remained in a coma for two days. 174. In the same letter the Special Rapporteur also transmitted information alleging that women held in police custody were often subjected to more specific forms of torture, in particular rape. Thus, it was reported that