E/CN.4/1997/7/Add.2 page 7 of Islamabad towards Faizabad, operated by the Federal Intelligence Agency (FIA). This individual claimed that he was kept blindfolded and fettered in the basement of the "safe house" during the entire period of his detention. He was unable to indicate the number of prisoners held on the premises, but knew that three rooms in the basement were used for holding prisoners and that other rooms of the house were also sometimes used for this purpose. Further, he claimed that the prisoners were removed each night and taken to another "safe house" in Islamabad, where they were interrogated under torture. The individual was able to provide the Special Rapporteur with the exact locations of each "safe house". 21. At his meeting with the Director General of FIA on 26 March, which took place before he received the testimony referred to in the previous paragraph, the Special Rapporteur had asked if there was any validity in the general reports he had received concerning the use of FIA "safe houses" for detention. The Director General denied these general allegations, stating that under the Constitution and the Code of Criminal Procedure a criminal suspect must be brought before a magistrate within 24 hours of his detention. Although FIA operated its own police stations, the Director General emphasized that it could not hold anyone without warrant without the authorization of a judicial magistrate. The Director General also declared, as did every other official with whom the Special Rapporteur met, that he was free to visit any location and to speak with anyone he chose. 22. On 28 March the Special Rapporteur made an unannounced visit to the first of the "safe houses" referred to in paragraph 20. He was accompanied by an official from the Ministry of Human Rights who did not have prior knowledge of the delegation’s destination until it had departed for the "safe house". 23. The "safe house" appeared to be a private home in a residential neighbourhood of Islamabad. The residence was surrounded by a concrete wall that was approximately six feet high. The only indication that this was not an ordinary residence was the presence of armed guards stationed outside the front door. When the Special Rapporteur approached the house he was greeted at the front gate by two police constables, who explicitly stated that the residence was a facility of FIA (a "rest house"). The constables denied access to the premises despite the intervention of the official accompanying the Special Rapporteur. They said the delegation would need authorization from the Director General of FIA to enter the premises or to speak with anyone inside. 24. The Special Rapporteur waited outside the premises while telephone calls were made to FIA headquarters, the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Human Rights to receive authorization to enter. The delegation remained outside the house for two hours waiting for this authorization. Shortly after the delegation requested entry, a more senior police officer arrived on foot from a nearby police station. He informed the Special Rapporteur that his request would be honoured if he first came to the Police Headquarters to meet with the Superintendent. The Special Rapporteur replied that authorization could be granted over the telephone while the delegation remained at the house. After approximately an hour, a senior FIA official arrived and