PESHAWAR, Jan 18: The Amnesty International has called on Pakistani authorities to bring to justice those responsible for unlawful killings in tribal areas through fair trial.

In a statement issued here, Deputy Asia-Pacific Director of Amnesty International Isabelle Arradon, said: “Our research indicates that bodies of the people, who have been arrested by the armed forces, are being returned to their families or apparently found dumped across the tribal areas almost every week. Unless these deaths are properly investigated and the perpetrators brought to justice – without recourse to the death penalty - the cycle of violence will continue.”

In its report on Armed Forces and Taliban abuses in the Tribal Areas, The Hands of Cruelty, released in December 2012, Amnesty International documented extrajudicial executions, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions and torture in military custody.

The government has agreed to a list of demands made by tribal elders from Bara, including an end to indiscriminate mortar shelling by the armed forces, compensation for those killed during military operations, and a judicial inquiry into the Bara killings.

“The government’s swift response and agreement to provide compensation and undertake an independent inquiry into the Bara killings are a step in the right direction,” she said.

She, however, said given the poor record in bringing perpetrators of such killings to justice in fair trials, whether they belonged to the state or not, much more was needed.