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Pak needs reforms to counter
HRs violations: PCHR
SHR Jahfery
Islamabad—Parliamentarians Commission for Human Rights (PCHR)
appreciated Pakistan’s ratification of International Covenant on
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) and signing the
International Covenants on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) as
well as Convention against Torture and other cruel inhuman or
degrading treatment or punishment.
Shafique Chaudhry Chief Coordinator PCHR in a statement here said,
while commenting upon the worsening state of human rights violation
in Pakistan.
Chief Coordinator said that more than 59,962 cases of human rights
violations were reported from all over Pakistan. The highest number
of human rights violations, (37,000 cases), were reported in the
NWFP, According to official statistics of Law Ministry given in
Parliament, human rights violations had been reported in various
cities irrespective of big and small or urban or rural for example,
big cities like Peshawar 7,339 cases were registered followed by
4,676 cases in Gujranwala in Punjab and 1,311 in Karachi.
He said it was evident from above mentioned statistics that Pakistan
needed strong and urgent policy reforms to counter human rights
violation and the ratification of the core human rights instruments
is a big step in this direction. He said that it was the need of the
hour to take administrative steps to protect human rights and
eliminate all form of human rights violation at the earliest. He
said that Pakistan has also ratified ILO Conventions but they have
not been implemented in letter and spirit, which called immediate
attention on the part of the government.
He said that the pressing human rights concerns in the country
included a rise in sectarian violence; legal discrimination against
and mistreatment of vulnerable groups like women and religious
minorities; arbitrary detention of political opponents; harassment
and intimidation of the media, bonded labour, child labour and lack
of parliamentary or judicial oversight to security operations
related to ongoing war on terror.
“The ratification and signature of the three core UN human rights
instruments is a significant step forward by Pakistan in fulfilling
its pledges and commitment to promote human rights of the people of
Pakistan in accordance with international law” he said.
He hoped that joining the main international human rights
instruments would reflect practically the commitment of the new
democratic government to promote human rights in Pakistan, including
the rights of women, children, minorities and the unprivileged. He
further said that it is high time for the new democratic government
to demonstrate its commitment with human right by incorporating
international human rights practices.
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