Pakistan must ensure justice to Dr. Aafia; probe her children’s disappearance: HRCP

Press Release, August 12

 

Lahore: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan urges the government of Pakistan to fulfil its duty of ensuring that Dr. Aafia Siddiqui receives full justice, necessary facilities and immediate medical attention. HRCP demands an official investigation into Dr. Siddiqui’s, and her children’s, disappearance and details of their detention - from the point of being picked up in 2003 till the present. HRCP also emphasises that Dr. Siddiqui should not be repatriated to Pakistan against her wishes and be given the full opportunity to contest her case in the US. The fear is that once she has been repatriated to Pakistan she will be pressurised by the intelligence agencies to maintain silence and she will not be able to secure justice. Though it may be a relief that she has been traced there is no information about Dr. Siddiqui’s children. The government must also disclose the whereabouts of her children.

 

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has been following the case of disappearance of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui and her three children since early 2003. The information collected by HRCP at that particular time was that in March 2003 Dr. Siddiqui, along with her three children, left her mother’s house in a taxi on her way to the Karachi airport and was picked up by an intelligence agency. What she was accused of when picked up has not been made public. Strangely, the only charge against her is an alleged assault against her captors while in custody.

 

A statement was issued expressing concern on this most heinous violation of human rights and HRCP demanded an explanation from the government. The parents of Dr. Siddiqui were also contacted, who were under sever threat of the intelligence agencies and warned not to speak either to the press or any human rights organization. At one point office bearers of the HRCP contacted the family of Dr. Siddiqui and arranged to meet but at the last minute they expressed their “inability” to see the office bearers despite the fact that the meeting was arranged at their request. Since then HRCP representatives have been in touch with the family and filed a constitutional petition in the Supreme Court which is still pending. The petition was heard on the 8th of March 2007 and at several subsequent hearings the government expressed their ignorance of the whereabouts of Dr. Siddiqui and her children.

 

HRCP is convinced that Dr. Siddiqui and her three children were picked up from Karachi as is evident from the initial reports and urges the government to now play a positive role in insuring that she gets full justice, fair trial as well as compensation from the government of United States for the mistreatment meted out to her. HRCP appreciates that the Pakistan mission has sought consular access to her yet these belated efforts can only be compensated if the Pakistan government is able to intervene in the courts in the US and submit an honest investigation report

 

HRCP will remain in touch with the legal team defending Dr. Siddiqui and will make all efforts to submit its own reports through her lawyers.

 

The violation of the rights of Dr. Siddiqui and her children, and countless other missing persons, is squarely the responsibility of the government of Pakistan. There is enough evidence indicating that she was initially picked up by the intelligence agencies in Pakistan and therefore it is not only the government of the United States but also the government of Pakistan that must be made accountable for this crime.

 

HRCP fears that the fate of Dr. Siddiqui will be the same as hundreds of others who have disappeared, been tortured and rendered to third countries without following the legal process. Regrettably petitions of hundreds of people in almost similar circumstances are pending in the courts of Pakistan and not in one single case has full justice been delivered. No one has received compensation neither have the perpetrators been brought to justice.

 

Asma Jahangir
Chairperson

Redeem all your pledges, says HRCP

Press Release, August 8

 

Lahore: Commenting on their Thursday’s decisions, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has called upon the members of the ruling coalition to redeem all their pledges to establish democracy and supremacy of parliament, restore judges and the independence of the judiciary, and secure the people’s release from grinding poverty and unemployment, with the seriousness that their obligation demands. In a statement issued here today HRCP Chairperson Asma Jahangir said:

 

On Thursday the leaders of the coalition parties stopped their gyrations and chose to move in a direction the people can recognize and understand. It was time they did so and arrested the process of the citizens’ frustration at lack of the new government’s interest in honouring the electorate’s unmistakable verdict of February 18. They will be forgiven their dithering over several precious months if they redeem their pledges with the seriousness and the sense of urgency their responsibilities demand. These pledges are: a complete break from authoritarianism, transition to democratic governance and establishment of the supremacy of parliament; restoration of judges and independence of the judiciary; and a concerted campaign to alleviate the socio-economic plight of the people, especially to secure their release from grinding poverty, unemployment and the various forms of denial of their basic rights and freedoms. For the citizens elections and change of regime are not meant to provide only for the advancement of a few, nor are they matters for academic quibbling or rhetorical flourishes, these are merely mile posts on their journey towards freedom, security and prosperity. The coalition leaders’ earnestness in resolutely pursuing the course they have chosen alone will guarantee them the public support without which the state cannot achieve anything. Besides, no political arrangement can survive by adding fresh pledges to older, unfulfilled commitments. The conseques of allowing the latest resolution to meet a fate similar to that of the Charter of Democracy or the Murree Declaration will be too dreadful to be imagined.

 

Asma Jahangir

Chairperson

HRCP urges implementation of quota for disabled students

Press release, 7 August 2008

 

Lahore: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has again called upon the Punjab Governor and Chief Minister to ensure the implementation of the quota for disabled students’ admission to educational institutions in Punjab.

 

The commission has drawn attention of the governor and the chief minister to the fact that while a number of colleges and universities in the province had implemented the quota as per government policy, quite a few had not.

 

Calling for a consistent implementation of the quota for disabled students, HRCP demanded that the Punjab Education Department must issue a public notice outlining the extent to which the quota for special children was being implemented in educational institutions in the province.

 

I. A. Rehman

Secretary-General

Longest sentence to juvenile is 28 years imprisonment: AGHS

‘Longest sentence to juvenile is 28 years imprisonment’
Courtesy Daily Times - 23 July 2008

* AGHS report says youngest child in jail is eight years old
* AGHS director says a lot needs to be done for betterment of child prisoners

LAHORE: The longest sentence given to a juvenile in 2007 for murder is 28 years imprisonment and a fine of Rs 65,000, given by the Additional Session Judge Mandi Bahauddin, an AGHS report at the Lahore Press Club revealed on Tuesday.

The report said that the shortest sentence awarded to a juvenile was for a period of seven days for contravening orders given by the Faisalabad deputy district revenue officer.

The report on children in Punjab prisons has been complied on the basis of information collected from 29 prisons of the province. The report said that the total number of children found in 2007 was 8,098. The number of children admitted to the prisons from January until December was 2,460.

Youngest: The report revealed that the youngest child already in prison in 2007 was an eight-year old who was detained in the Sahiwal Central Jail for murder. It said that the youngest child to be admitted to prison in 2007 was also an eight-year old child who has been detained in the Bahawalnagar District Jail for murder since October 2007, and his case was to be processed until the end of the year.

The report said that there had been a decline in the number of imprisoned children in the 7-11 age bracket. The report said that the total number of convicted children found in the Faisalabad Borstal Institute in 2007 was 619, and that the AGHS had received information about six female child prisoners throughout the year. The report said that they could not receive information regarding most female juveniles as they were detained in the Multan Women Jail. The report said that AGHS had identified 82 cases from the prison data, which required intervention and relief.

Director: AGHS Director Hina Jilani said more should be done for the betterment of children prisoners. She said that the probation department’s role should be made effective, and that children should not be given rigorous imprisonments. The practice still continued in jails and needed to be addressed, she argued. She also said that children who were kept in jail on sexual harassment charges should not be imprisoned with other younger children.

Jilani said that the children who remained with their mothers in jail also needed the authorities’ attention for rehabilitation. She said that the role of a probation officer was quite important in the Juvenile Justice System Ordinance (JJSO) but they were not playing any role, and the police did not inform them when it arrested a child. She said that children in jails were deprived of health facilities and they should be provided with it. Jilani said that the visitors, who came to see the children, should be checked in order to determine whether they were the children’s relatives or criminals. She said that it was also the responsibility of the state to provide juveniles before and under trial with legal aid.

Edhi records dumping of an average of 30 babies a month - DT

A news report in Daily Times, about the work of EDHI welfare foundation, reveals shocking data that  states that on an average 30 babies are dumped in the garbage each month in Pakistan.

****************

Daily Times: 30 babies dumped in the garbage each month

By Irfan Aligi

 

KARACHI: The Edhi Welfare Trust (EWT) has collected an astonishing 17,000 living infants over 38 years from ‘katchra kundis’ (garbage dumps) of which 98 percent are girls and only two percent are boys. The number of dead babies found at these dumps over the same time period is fourfold, 68,000, while on average, 30 infants are rescued each month by the EWT from all over Pakistan, informed Abdul Sattar Edhi, renowned human rights activist and Chief Trustee of the EWT, while talking to Daily Times.

 

The most discarded babies are found in Karachi with Nazimabad, North Karachi and Baldia Town being the most popular sites for this gross disrespect of life, he noted, adding that it is obvious that people discard a girl infant as they cannot afford to raise her with low prospects of employment. What is even more bewildering, he said, is that some parents choose to cut the throat of their new born.

 

An astounding number of infants are found with their throats slit or who have been smothered to death, he noted. “No crime can surpass this act of brutality and inhumanity. People do not fear Allah when they kill a defenseless and innocent infant like a wild animal.

 

“I have always appealed to people who give birth to girls, whether illegitimate or legitimate, and do not want to keep them due to poverty, to drop their unwanted child in the cradle placed outside the main gate of EWT in Kharadar, but we still find discarded babies, alive and dead, everywhere,” he regretted. “Allah has ordained in the Holy Quran to not kill infants for fear of a lack of food because it is He who provides food to all creatures, but unfortunately, I know some clerics who say that it is okay to kill such infants,” remarked Edhi.

 

A positive is that the number of couples willing to adopt infants from the EWT is growing. The adopting couples are monitored for five years, to check the fostering conditions of an adopted child. Thankfully, hundreds of adopted infants are now serving the country after becoming doctors, engineers, teachers and scientists, noted Edhi.

 

Faisal Edhi, Edhi Welfare Trust Trustee, told Daily Times that despite all the modernization and the commotion about civil and human rights these day, the fate of a lot of newborn girls is the same as it was as was 1,500 years ago when in Arabia, newborn girls were buried alive because of poverty or the dishonour they brought the family. He also thanked the Pakistanis who continue to support the EWT in their noble mission of saving innocent lives and giving them a future.

HRCP delegation met with the Chief Minister of Sindh

HRCP delegation met with the Chief Minister of Sindh

 

HRCP has been holding consultations on human rights issues confronting the country. With a new democratically elected government in power, HRCP believes it is time to share concerns and proposals with political leaders.

 

Therefore, a delegation of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan headed by Iqbal Haider, Co-Chairperson HRCP, comprising of Uzma Noorani, Asad Iqbal Butt, Sindh Council Members of HRCP, and Ejaz Ahsan, Program Coordinator, HRCP had a meeting with Mr. Syed Qaim Ali Shah, Chief Minister of Sindh at CM House on June 5, 2008.

 

HRCP delegation shared a copy of policy statement of HRCP on critical issues of human rights, for the consideration and support of PPP leadership . This policy statement was adopted by the General Body at HRCP’s Annual General Meeting held recently.

 

CM promised moving necessary resolutions and bill for legislation wherever required, for expeditious implementation of the recommendations of HRCP on human rights issues.

 

HRCP also expressed concern over marrying off 15 under-age girls to settle tribal dispute through a jirga held in Chach village, Kashmore-Kandhkot and demanded that the provincial government take immediate action against all those responsible for the illegal and inhuman decisions and ensure immediate release of the minor girls.

 

Iqbal Haider also presented the recently published, Annual Report of HRCP “State of Human Rights in 2007″ to the CM.

 

Policy Statement of HRCP

HRCP slams marrying off under-age girls to settle tribal disputes through a jirga near the Sindh-Balochistan border

HRCP slams marrying off under-age girls to settle tribal disputes through a jirga held in Chach village near the Sindh-Balochistan border

 

Press Release, June 2, 2008

 

Karachi: While strongly demanding the immediate arrest of all those who participated in the jirga and of those as well who agreed to the trading of the minor girls for settlement of a tribal feud – both heinous crimes, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan expressed strong disapproval of the agreement between the Chakrani and Qalandari tribesmen on Friday, May 30, to settle a blood feud between the two tribes.

 

According to the information gathered by a fact-finding team of HRCP, the eight-year-old dispute was settled between the two Bugti tribes – Chakrani and Qalandrani, in a jirga held in Chach village near the Sindh-Balochistan border. This tribal feud had claimed the lives of 17 Qalandaris including 5 women and 3 Chakranis.  The jirga decided to implement a decision reportedly announced by Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti in 2002, according to which the Chakrani tribe will pay a fine of Rs. 45 lacs and marry off 15 girls irrespective of their ages.  The fact-finding team found out that Shar Badag, Aishi Khan and Sohbat Khan of Qalandrani tribe and Noor Ali, Mir Khan and Shahnwaz of Chakrani tribe participated in the jirga.  According to the Kashmore-Kandhkot DPO Mohammad Younus Chandio, so far it could not be ascertained that the jirga was held in the province of Sindh or Balochistan.  Most of the tribesmen of the two tribes lived in Dera Bugti and Jafarabad in Balochistan and there were only a few houses in Sindh, the DPO added.

 

HRCP demands that the provincial government take immediate action against all those responsible for the illegal and inhuman decisions and ensure immediate release of the minor girls.

 

Iqbal Haider, Co-Chairperson

 

HRCP welcomes the ratification and signatures of three core UN human rights instruments by Pakistan

Press Release, April 18, 2008

 

Karachi: In a statement issued to the press, Iqbal Haider, Co-Chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan welcomes the ratification and signatures of three core UN human rights instruments by Pakistan

 

On Thursday, Pakistan ratified the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESR), which is a multilateral treaty adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 16, 1966, and in force from January 3, 1976. It commits its parties to work toward the granting of economic, social, and cultural rights (ESCR) to individuals, including labour rights and rights to health, education, and an adequate standard of living.  The ICESCR is part of the International Bill of Human Rights, along with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), and the latter’s first and second Optional Protocols.

 

HRCP notes with appreciation that the truly elected Government of Pakistan has accepted the long outstanding demand of the human rights activists by signing and rectifying the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) as well as Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT).  CAT is an international human rights instrument, under the purview of the United Nations, that aims to prevent torture around the world.  The Convention advises states to take effective measures to prevent torture within their borders, and forbids states to return people to their home country if there is reason to believe they will be tortured.  The text of the Convention was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 10 December 1984 and, following ratification by the 20th state party, it came into force on 26 June 1987; 26 June is now recognised as the International Day in Support of Torture Victims, in honour of the Convention

 

Mr. Haider said that the ratification and signatures of these three crucial UN human rights instruments are indeed significant step forward by the present elected Government of Pakistan in fulfilling its pledges and commitment to promote human rights of the people of Pakistan in accordance with international human rights law. Joining the main international human rights instruments reflects the commitment of the democratic Government to promote and further strengthen the mechanism to protect the human rights of the people in Pakistan, including the rights of women, children, minorities and the unprivileged.

 

Mr Haider emphasized that implementation of these very important UN human rights conventions, is an equally important task of the present Government and he hoped it will follow and abide by these UN instruments, in their letter and spirit.

 

Iqbal Haider, Co-Chairperson

HRCP: Civil society for change at the top, fairplay and citizens’ rights

Press release

Civil society for change at the top, fairplay and citizens’ rights

Activists of civil society organizations and concerned citizens, including representatives of the four provinces, met at HRCP office in Lahore on January 4^th 2008 to discuss the over-all situation and the upcoming elections and summed up their concerns and demands in the following statement:

The assassination of Benazir Bhutto has made the situation in Pakistan much worse. Elections have been postponed despite the demand by the main parties, including the most severely affected PPP, to stick to the scheduled date of January 8 2008. The new date for elections has been set for February 18, but there are apprehensions of further postponement and lawlessness. General Musharraf’s decision to use the army during and after the elections is ominous as it aims to stifle dissent and public opinion through the use of force. The participants demanded that there must be no further delay in elections as this will only exacerbate the crisis of state and society.

The participants condemned lawlessness regardless of the identity of culprits but insisted that a clear distinction must be made between those who have indulged in looting and destroyed public property and those who gave vent to their spontaneous grief and shock. They expressed concern at reports that the government is using these disturbances as an excuse to enter people’s homes, arrest thousands of party workers and create an environment of fear. The participants strongly and unequivocally condemned the attempt to give an ethnic colour to the tragedy and its aftermath for electoral advantage. They demanded that all political workers must be released immediately and allowed to exercise their democratic rights, otherwise the tendency to single out and blame one party for the disturbances will send wrong signals to the victims and further undermine the federal bond.

It is time for General Musharraf and everyone else to recognize that he is now a major part of the problem rather than a part of the solution. He must accept responsibility for actions and developments that have contributed to the national crisis, especially since August 2006, such as the killing of Nawab Akbar Bugti in Balochistan: the firing of the Chief Justice of Pakistan, mishandling of the Lal Masjid incident, removal of the majority of the superior judiciary, imposition of Martial Law under the guise of Emergency and the absolute failure to make adequate security arrangements that resulted in the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. He should quit office forthwith, and allow the assemblies that will come into existence after the elections to elect the president.

Noting that an independent judiciary is critical to the functioning of a democratic state and order in society, the participants called for the restoration of the judges who have been illegally removed from office. The independence of the judiciary cannot become a reality unless the key institution of the superior judiciary is strong and secure. The judges who took a principled stand rather than follow the precedent of bowing to the whims of the executive have set a very different standard for the institution, eliciting country-wide resonance. Their phenomenal act must be fully and unequivocally endorsed by political parties and society at large. And this can only be done, operationally, by ensuring their restoration. The participants called upon both the parties participating in and those boycotting the elections to come together to ensure the restoration of the superior judiciary.

The independence of the judiciary and the promotion of people’s democratic aspirations has been the central concern of the lawyers’ movement. Bar associations have led a remarkable struggle since March 2007 and put up with state oppression and all kinds of other hardships without faltering. Participants were of the view that the lawyers should be extended full support by the other sections of civil society and political parties to continue their struggle.

The participants demanded repeal of the PEMRA ordinance and removal of all restrictions on the media.

The meeting noted that the real menace of militancy and extremism has to be contested politically. Under no circumstance must force be used indiscriminately as such a policy has led to the death of innocent civilians. This is the inevitable fall-out of an undemocratic state and lack of consensus on the basis of a political strategy. In this regard the meeting took a serious view of General Musharraf’s snide and derogatory comments on Pakistani society which he claims is not developed enough to deserve democracy and democratic institutions. Such unmerited denigration is what emboldens the regime’s external patrons, the United States in particular, to assume that Pakistan can deserve nothing better than autocracy and rule by decree. The government’s continued collusion with the US administration has seriously damaged Pakistan’s sovereignty and turned it into a rentier state that puts the interest of the US before the interests of its own people.

The participants noted that the government’s claim of good governance and economic growth are belied by the rising cost of food and essential items. A minimum of eight-hour power cuts, shortages of water and gas are seriously impacting ion people’s lives and livelihoods. As always, the worst hit are the vulnerable sections of society: the poor, women, minorities and children.

The manifestos of the political parties taking part in the elections were discussed at the meeting. While appreciating the parties’ efforts to address the many issues confronting the state and the people, the participants expressed the view that greater attention needed to be paid to the means of combating religious extremism, discrimination against women, minorities and the economically marginalized. It was also necessary to plan for the elimination of poverty and guarantee a fair deal to the tillers of the soil and the working people.

There was unanimity on the point that Pakistan’s tribulations will not end so long as the socio-political economic system was not changed. This means that even after the polls - and assuming the acceptance of results by the people – those sitting in assemblies and those boycotting the polls both will face the challenge of putting the state back on the rails. The people of Pakistan call upon the political parties to knit together and integrate all parts of the federation and to reform all legal, administrative and political structures so as to end denial of full citizenship and other basic rights to the peoples of the Northern Areas and FATA, and to adopt measures that could ensure that equity and justice will govern the relationship between the provinces. Without such steps, no progress will be possible.

I. A. Rehman

Director HRCP

HRCP strongly condemns police brutality on women activists of Awami Tehrik in Hyderabad protesting against the Emergency

Karachi, November 26: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) strongly condemns police brutality on a peaceful demonstration of Awami Tehreek protesting against the Emergency at the civil courts building premises in Hyderabad on Friday, the 23^rd of November.

It was shocking to note that, violating all norms of decency, male policemen lifted women and threw them into the prison vans. Police also baton-charged children and male activists and arrested more than 60 activists of Awami Tehreek, including 10 children and 25 women.

HRCP holds the provincial authorities fully responsible for the brutal police action, particularly against women and children, who were peacefully protesting against the imposition of emergency in Pakistan.

Under the present regime, harassment, victimization, disappearances (abduction by the authorities), murder, attempted murder or attacks on the life and properties of the political leaders and workers, journalists, lawyers, human right activists are continuing with impunity, in shocking numbers.