ISLAMABAD - The Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights has demanded the closure of Guantanamo Bay prison and immediate release of six Pakistanis detained there. This demand was made in a resolution, which was unanimously passed in a meeting of the Functional Committee of the Senate for Human Rights held on Saturday in the Parliament House under the Chairmanship of Senator SM Zafar. The meeting discussed the issue of detention of a woman, believed to be a Pakistani national, at the US Army's Bagram Detention Centre in Afghanistan for over four years. In this regard, the Committee also directed to seek written answer from the US authorities. Senator Mushahid Hussain presented the resolution about the violations of Human Rights in Guantanamo Bay and demanded to send the resolution to the US officials for immediate release of six Pakistani prisoners. The members of the Committee underlined the need for making more coordinated efforts to know the facts whether there was any woman languishing in illegal detention of the US force at Bagram and Guantanamo Bay. They directed the Ministries of Interior, Foreign Affairs and Human Rights Division to take up the matter with the Intelligence Agencies whether they had handed over any woman to the US forces for interrogation or not. The Committee observed that as the issue was of immense importance, all-out efforts should be made not only to get the correct information but also to take appropriate steps to get the woman released, if detained. It gave clear-cut directions to the ministries concerned that bureaucratic snags should not mar the issue and priority should be given to the matter. The Committee Chairman, SM Zafar asked about the presence of a Pakistani woman at Bagram Airbase and the Foreign Secretary and officials of the Foreign Office and the Human Rights Division informed the Committee that there were no confirmed reports in this regard. The Committee members have urged the government to seek a written response from the US authorities while the Human Rights Division has also been asked to solve the issue. Responding to a question, an official of the Foreign Office said that as many as 67 Pakistanis had been released while 6 Pakistanis were still under detention at Guantanamo Bay. During the meeting the officials informed that a list of 563 missing persons prepared by Co-Coordinator Defence of Human Rights, Amna Masud Janjua had been provided to Human Rights Division and the wings involved in the monitoring of Human Rights violations were working in this regard. Earlier, Secretariat of the Ministries of Interior, Law, Justice and Human Rights and senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed the Committee about the steps taken by their respective ministries regarding a jailed woman, who is reported of being subjected to torture at Bagram Detention Centre in Afghanistan. It was informed that Interior Ministry had approached the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to contact the US authorities in this regard and the diplomatic mission in Kabul to take up the issue with the authorities in Bagram Military Base. The meeting was participated by Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed, Muhammad Ali Durrani, Abbas Kamayli, Foreign Secretary and officials of Foreign Office and Human Rights Division.