HRCP hails event

Press Release, August 18

 

Lahore: While hailing General (R) Pervez Musharraf’s resignation from presidentship as the logical result of the people’s verdict of February 18, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has stressed the sobering effect of the development and reminded the coalition partners that satisfaction of the people’s heightened expectations will now demand greater sincerity and resoluteness than before. In a statement issued here today, the HRCP chairperson, Asma Jahangir, said:

 

Although General (R) Musharraf’s decision to quit before getting impeached will be considered one of his rare acts of kindness to the people, no tears will be shed for him. If he really cared for Pakistan as much as he claimed in his long peroration today, he should have resigned much earlier, as soon as the February 18 results were out. Indeed he might well have desisted from subverting the constitution nine years ago. But while the coalition partners and the people at large have good reason to celebrate their victory, the present is a sobering moment. Now the people’s expectations, already high after February 18, will soar even higher. The government will be tested to the extreme in meeting these expectations. Unity of democratic forces, effective supremacy of parliament, and consolidation of institutions of governance, the judiciary foremost among them, will be essential for pulling the state out of the mire created by a dictatorship. The issues that will brook no delay are: steps to fight ongoing insurgency in the north and the plight of the internally displaced persons as a result thereof; a crash programme to deal with the economic crisis, especially the rising cost of living and unemployment; and the urgency of guaranteeing the security of life and liberty. The people also must not forget that constant vigil is the price of liberty. And of progress too.

 

Asma Jahangir

Chairperson

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

Dr. Afia - recent posts and HRCP action

Current information on Dr. Afia Siddiqui

 

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HRCP Press Conference with Dr. Afia’s Sister Dr Fauzia Siddiqui

Dawn ( Aug 2008 ) Aafia’s sister rejects US charges

Daily Times ( Aug 2008 ) Dr Aafia was detained, tortured for 5 years: sister

Dawn Opinion ( Nov 2006 ) Where have they vanished?

 

Cross Postings

Teeth Maestro

( Aug 2008 )

-  Dr. Afia - Tortured & Terrorised for five years, but on trial for Assaulting an Officer

 

- FBI admits to kidnapping Dr. Afia Siddiqui, to Afghanistan

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BBC

( Aug 2008 )

-‘Al-Qaeda’ woman appears in court

- Mystery of Siddiqui disappearance

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[FBI Wanted Report, hunting for Dr. Afia]

HRCP urges justice for Dr. Afia and others

Press release, 5 August 2008

 

Lahore: With the US finally admitting custody of Dr. Afia Siddiqi, one of the most brutal cases of suppression of individual freedom has become to unravel, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said in a statement on Tuesday.

 

The commission said: Public pressure has at last compelled the United States to admit that Dr. Afia is in their custody.

 

While the Pakistani government has belatedly begun to admit that it had some responsibility towards Dr. Afia, it has a lot of explaining to do as to who had been detaining her and where since she was picked up from Karachi in 2003 along with her three children.

 

To say that she had been taken into custody only on July 21, 2008 is a blatant lie, as transparently ugly as any falsehood can be. The insinuation, that she had been hiding herself since 2003, is a travesty of truth, an affront to people’s commonsense.

 

Dr. Afia’s case is a reminder of the grave injustice done to God knows how many Pakistanis in US detention facilities in Bagram in Afghanistan, Guantanamo Bay in Cuba and elsewhere, who have been listed as missing.

 

While reminding the government of Pakistan of its duty to trace all people who are reported to be involuntarily disappeared, HRCP calls upon all civil society elements and human rights organizations to make a concerted effort for the release of all missing persons and to ensure that Dr. Afia gets justice, that has long been denied to her and that in a manner no civilized people can condone.

 

Iqbal Haider

Co-chairperson

HRCP urges PM’s action over Pakistani women detained in Afghanistan, China

Press Release, 9 July 2008

 

Lahore: The Human Rights Commission Pakistan (HRCP) has called upon the prime minister to intervene on behalf of two Pakistani women, one detained in China and the other at the US-run Bagram airbase detention centre in Afghanistan.

 

No one has seen the Pakistani woman detained at Bagram for the last four years, but a number of former prisoners at Bagram have confirmed a Pakistani woman prisoner at Bagram and claimed hearing her screams.

 

Reportedly registered as prisoner number 650, her state of mind or the extent of abuse or torture she has suffered remains unknown.

 

The government must use its status as a leading US ally in the so-called war on terror to get details about the detained woman from Washington and ensure that her illegal detention ends without delay, and she is brought to Pakistan as soon as possible.

 

The other woman, Ms. Zalkaf Begum, a resident of village Sahoke, Tehsil Nowshera Virkan, district Gujranwala, has been in detention in China for three months after losing her passport and overstaying her visa duration.

 

Her case was brought to the attention of Pakistan’s Consulate in Beijing, which took almost two months to issue an emergency passport for her deportation to Pakistan.

 

She does not have the financial means to pay for her travel back to Pakistan. The Chinese authorities will not pay for the cost of deportation and will continue to detain her until someone pays for the air ticket. The Pakistani Consulate advises that it has no funds for the air ticket. Ms. Zalkaf is in poor health.

 

It is the responsibility of Pakistan missions to assist the country’s citizens who find themselves in trouble in a foreign country. Funds must be released immediately so that she can be repatriated to Pakistan at the earliest.

 

A civilized country shall never abandon its citizens or allow them to be treated in this manner. The government must act decisively to ensure that the rights of Pakistani citizens detained abroad are duly respected.

Asma Jahangir, Chairperson

Iqbal Haider, Co-chairperson

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

Speech of Muneer Malik, former president of Pakistan Supreme Court Bar Association at the award ceremony at South Korea

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, AHRC-ANM-006-2008
June 2, 2008

An Announcement by the Asian Human Rights Commission

 

ASIA: Speech of the Mr. Muneer Malik, former president of Pakistan Supreme Court Bar Association at the award ceremony at Gwangju at South Korea

 

We wish to share with you the following speech of Mr. Muneer Malik, delivered on his acceptance of the Gwangju Prize for Human Rights. He received the human rights award on May 18, 2008 on the occasion of the 518 International Solidarity Program, held in commemoration of the great people’s movement in Gwangju, South Korea against the military dictatorship and for democracy.

 

Valedictory Speech of Munir Malik

HRCP demands release of Baloch human rights activists

Press Release, May 29, 2008

 

Karachi: In a joint statement issued to the press, Iqbal Haider, Co-Chairperson, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) and Ghazi Salahuddin, the Vice Chairperson of HRCP Sindh Chapter, expressed concern over the abduction / arrest of two Baloch leaders and human rights activists namely Wahab Baloch, the president of the Baloch Rights Council and Ghulam Muhammad Baloch, who had come to the HRCP office on Abdullah Haroon Road, Karachi yesterday, the 28th of May 2008, to discuss the human rights problems and issues including the plight of the missing persons.  HRCP is distressed to learn that when they left the HRCP office at about 5:30 pm, they were abducted / arrested by law enforcement agency personnel. 

 

HRCP immediately made every effort to know the whereabouts of the two Baloch leaders but in vain.  This morning on making inquiries HRCP discovered that:  

 

Wahab Baloch, the president of the Baloch Rights Council and a well known human rights activist is still missing.  HRCP is deeply concerned about his enforced disappearance and the condition under which he may be held. 

 

Ghulam Mohammad Baloch, the president of Balochistan National Movement (BNM):  the police has admitted that he is in custody at PS Frere and an FIR has been registered against him for allegedly a provocative speech outside the Karachi Press Club. He was earlier picked and made to disappear on 03.12.2006 for about a year and was released in September 2007. 

 

HRCP believes that this amounts to outright harassment and victimization of the Baloch leaders and human rights defenders.  There is no lawful reason or justification for arresting the two leaders, implicating Ghulam Muhammad Blaoch in a false case and charges and abducting a very well known human rights activist, Mr. Wahab Baloch.  

 

HRCP strongly condemns this harassment of the Baloch activists and demands immediate release of Wahab Baloch and Ghulam Muhammad Baloch.

 

Iqbal Haider, Co-Chairperson

Ghazi Salahuddin, Vice Chairperson, Sindh Chapter

 

HRC membership: HRCP expects Pakistan will improve human rights record

Press release, May 29, 2008

Lahore: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) is happy to see Pakistan win membership for a second term to the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC). It has keenly followed the Universal Periodic Review of Pakistan carried out by UNHRC. HRCP hopes that the government will honor the commitments it made and follow up the recommendations submitted by UNHRC. It urges Pakistan to play a constructive role in the world body and improve its human rights record. Human rights bodies expect members of UNHRC to act in a responsible manner and to deepen human rights values at the national and international level.

 

HRCP welcomes some undertakings made by the government of Pakistan. The setting up of an independent national human rights body according to the Paris principles is a step in the right direction. Its effectiveness will depend on the selection of Commissioners and the mandate that the Commission is entrusted with. Members of such commissions must have a sound knowledge of human rights principles and must be individuals of integrity. This membership of the Commission must maintain a gender balance and include minorities. The Commission must have a countrywide jurisdiction and should be able to conduct investigations against allegations of human rights violations carried out by all categories of security forces.

It is encouraging that the government has undertaken to accede to the International Convention for the Protection of All persons from Enforced Disappearances. This is a positive development. It will lend credibility to the new government as it has promised to investigate cases of disappearances. Equally encouraging was the statement made by the government at the UNHRC that it was working on a proposal to commute the death penalty to life imprisonment.

However, the government’s position on the overall issue of death penalty remains ambivalent. It refuses to recognize that the issue of imposition of death penalty was linked to human rights. It made a tall claim that death penalty was imposed after exhaustion of all remedies through due process. HRCP vehemently disagrees.

Safeguards and restrictions to the imposition of death penalty is a universal and recognized human rights principle. It is a fundamental right to life. Capital punishment in Pakistan has not been imposed with caution. Pakistan has one of the highest numbers of prisoners in death cell. At present over 7,500 persons, including a few women are awarded capital punishments. There is sufficient evidence and research to show that due process, safeguards and restrictions imposed under customary international law have not been applied to those convicted to capital punishment.

Pakistan’s representative to the UNHRC made several misleading statements. She assured the members of the UNHRC that while preparing for the Universal Periodic Review the government held wide consultations with human rights bodies in the country. She also assured the Human Rights Council that human rights defenders were not being obstructed or allowed to operate freely. HRCP takes a serious exception to it. The government did not even attempt to hold any dialogue with Pakistan’s human rights organizations during this process. Several human rights defenders were beaten, imprisoned, and tortured in the last few years. Even today, NGOs are not being able to operate freely and are threatened in certain parts of the country. The government has not taken any action against the perpetrators. HRCP expects democratic governments to portray a true picture of the human rights situation in the country and to resist the temptation of undermining recognized human rights norms.

Embarrassing and unconvincing statements were also made in the context of religious minorities. Pakistan’s representative to the UNHRC tried her utmost to convince the Council that incidents of abuse against religious minorities were insignificant. The representatives claimed that the penal code only contained provisions for the proscription of actions and statements that would offend all religions and these laws applied to all without distinction based on faith. In 2007, HRCP has documented several cases of abuse and human rights violations against religious minorities. Reports of demolition and occupation of minority religious sites have also been made public. Pakistan Penal Code specifically prescribes punishments against the Ahmediaya community and discriminates against religious minorities.

Another faux pas made by Pakistan’s representative was to deny the existence of caste system. There are several hundred so-called low-caste Hindus living and being exploited in Sindh.

Pakistani representative, though, admitted and regretted that incitement to hatred against other religions was being promoted in some mosques. She defended inaction and lack of legislation on the plea that “religious sentiments run high in Pakistan”. HRCP regrets that this approach only emboldens those who preach violence and advocate hatred in the name of religion. A large number of such preachers are government employees and inaction of the government only indicates its approval of such hate speech.

HRCP rejects the government’s position at the UNHRC regarding the Hadood Ordinances. It is the obligation of a government to protect women from being abused and exploited. The law of Zina does precisely that. The government is misleading itself by denying that the vulnerability of women being accused of Zina is not a violation of their right. Similarly, marital rape is a crime and not a right or privilege of the offender.

The government of Pakistan also misled the UNHRC by assuring it that security forces were trained in Humanitarian Law and that alleged human rights violations by them were investigated as well as precautions taken to avoid “collateral damage”. HRCP has authentic reports of disappearances, torture, and illegal detention carried out by the security forces with impunity. A large number of non-combatant have been targeted and killed by the security forces and so far, no inquiry or investigation has been carried out. There are hundreds of thousands of Internally Displaced Persons who have been virtually abandoned by the government after they left their homes following indiscriminate use of force by the security forces.

HRCP urges the newly elected democratic government to paint a true picture and to acknowledge the large-scale human rights violations committed by the Musharraf regime. By glossing over the dark past, the government will only add salt to the wounds of the victims.

 

I. A. Rehman, Secretary General