A statement issued by HRCP on Wednesday said: “It is exceedingly unfortunate that despite repeated assurances by the government to protect journalists, Mukarram Khan Atif, a senior journalist working for the electronic media was killed in Shabqadar, Charsaddah, in a blatant attack on Tuesday. The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan’s acceptance of responsibility for the ghastly deed and its admission that the victim was targeted for his professional work underlines the perils journalists are increasingly being exposed to.

“That Pakistan is a perilous place for journalists is old news, since we have been labeled the most dangerous country in the world for a few years running now. At least 17 journalists and media workers were killed in Pakistan in 2011 alone. It is tragic that even before one is done counting the journalists killed in 2011, another has been targeted in 2012 already. All indications suggest that this too would be a bad year for Pakistani journalists.

“Despite the interior minister’s advice to journalists last year that they should arm themselves for their safety, the journalists and civil society still expects that the authorities would show more resolve in protecting journalists and tracking down their killers rather than washing their hands of key obligations.

“The government must realize that if it has tried anything to ensure protection for journalists that clearly has not worked. It is not entirely unreasonable for the journalists to question the government’s commitment to protect them in view of its failure to bring to justice the killers of even one of the many many journalists killed during its tenure. HRCP implores the government and also media organizations to respond with effective steps rather than mere rhetoric, and compensation for the slain journalists’ families. It must act before the next journalist is targeted.”

Zohra Yusuf
Chairperson

In a statement issued on Monday, HRCP said: “HRCP condemns the killing of innocent people in an explosion targeting a Chehlum procession in Khanpur and sympathises with the bereaved families. The perpetrators of sectarian violence regularly keep exploring new and more deadly ways of causing harm to the people. The police actions that follow such brazen targeting of religious events stand little chance of stemming the tide of sectarian killings. While paying attention to symptoms of the malaise is important, sectarian violence continues in Pakistan because the cause is usually left unaddressed. And it is clear that that happens because nearly all institutions of the state have a soft corner for religious extremism and they are certainly not keen to deal with it according to the law. In this environment the bloodletting will not stop.

“It is a welcome change that the leader of at least one religious-political party has condemned the killings in Khanpur. HRCP hopes that other parties and groups, especially the religious ones,  would also not have any reason to hesitate in condemning this act of terrorism as such. It is of vital importance that all segments of civil society that believe in tolerance play their role in unison to expose the passive response to such barbaric brutalities and also the reasons for that. But the state must allow the citizens due space to register their concerns and wishes. Any delay in taking decisive action amounts not only to negligence but complicity. The state must also reach out to the affected community in a manner that demonstrates its concern and shame in failing to protect citizens’ lives and try to promote tolerance after having tried the opposite for so long.”

Zohra Yusuf
Chairperson

A statement issued by HRCP on Monday said: “The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) is alarmed at reports of threats received by journalists on account of their work. While it is not uncommon for journalists in Pakistan to live under a constant cloud of intimidation and violence, the perceptible increase in threats is manifested by over a dozen journalists killed in 2011, as others have been forced to go into hiding in their own country. Many have exercised self-censorship for the sake of safety and others have suffered for airing views that are unpopular in some quarters.

A number of journalists have recently gone public about the threats they have received from ‘anonymous callers’. They have also mentioned cell phone numbers of the callers but little has been done to identify or prosecute these people. A government committed to media freedom must neither remain a spectator in the circumstances nor wait to be implored into action. HRCP wants to remind the authorities that for two years now Pakistan has held the dubious distinction of being one of the deadliest countries for journalists. HRCP reiterates that those making threats and perpetrating violence against journalists are encouraged by the fact that out of over 70 journalists killed in Pakistan in the last decade the perpetrators have been brought to justice in only one case. At the risk of sounding repetitive, HRCP urges all state institutions to acknowledge the dangers facing the journalists, identify and prosecute those threatening media persons on account of their work and ensure that journalism does not remain such a dangerous profession inPakistan. HRCP also supports the journalists facing threats and lauds their courageous decision to make the threats against them public.”

Zohra Yusuf

Chairperson

In a statement issued on Friday, HRCP said it was deeply regrettable that Dr. Shah, who had reported receiving death threats and had earlier been injured in an attack, was provided no protection by the authorities. It should be noted that the doctor had conducted the post mortem of the bodies of five foreigners killed by security forces in Kharotobad in May, and had concluded that the five had died of gunshot wounds and were unarmed.

HRCP said that Dr Shah’s killing demonstrated once again the impunity with which death squads operated in Balochistan. The Commission demanded a transparent probe into the murder of Dr. Shah, as well as into all the targeted killings occurring with increasing frequency in Balochistan, and stressed that findings of the probe must be made public. HRCP also reiterated its demand for an end to the culture of impunity for security agencies.

Zohra Yusuf
Chairperson

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Commission said: “HRCP is saddened by the tragedy in Indonesian waters where the crew of a boat carrying around 170 Pakistanis as well as another 80 people of other nationalities, abandoned their passengers as the boat capsized in a fierce storm. At least 55 Hazaras from Quetta are believed to be dead and scores of Pakistanis remain missing. The passengers included over 70 youth from Quetta’s Hazara community. That the Hazara young men chose to leave Pakistan by taking such grave risks is a measure of the persecution the Hazara community has long faced in Balochistan. Other Pakistani passengers, also from Balochistan, were believed to be unemployed young men looking for a way to improve their life as well as businessmen who felt insecure amid growing incidents of kidnappings for ransom in the province, particularly in Quetta.

HRCP sympathises with the bereaved families and would investigate the matter further. As the identities of those who have drowned and others who are still missing remain unknown, the anxieties of the families in Pakistan are beyond description. Irrespective of how the young men ended up in Indonesian waters, the government must immediately facilitate the families’ access to information about the fate of their loved ones, ensure that the survivors get help and the recovered bodies are brought home.

HRCP also calls upon the government to take a long hard look at the state of affairs in Balochistan and reflect on the reasons that compel young men to take such grave risks in order to escape persecution, insecurity and poverty. The government must also identify and punish those who contributed to the death of the boat’s passengers by illegally ferrying them across borders. In view of its obligation to protect the lives of all citizens, the government must also take urgent steps to find a way to put an end to the persecution of the long suffering Hazara community.”

Zohra Yusuf

Chairperson

In a statement issued on Friday, the Commission said, “This year HRCP is commemorating December 10, the International Human Rights Day, in solidarity with the people of Balochistan in support of their aspirations to realize their rights. This is because we believe that the human rights situation facing the people in Balochistan, irrespective of their ethnic, religious or sectarian identity, is an issue of foremost concern in the country today. HRCP reiterates its grave distress at the absence of adequate measures to resolve lingering issues of human rights violations. It is a matter of grave alarm that 107 new cases of enforced disappearance have been reported in Balochistan in 2011, and the ‘missing persons’ are increasingly turning up dead. Bodies at least 225 ‘missing persons’ have been recovered from various parts of the province since July 2010. It is scandalous that not a signle person has been held accountable for these disappearances and killings.

The situation is particularly grave for non-Muslims and minority Muslim sects. As many as 80 members of the Shia Hazara community have been killed in the province this year alone, for no reason other than their religious belief.

HRCP also has serious concern at targeted killing of teachers, intellectuals and non-Baloch ‘settlers’ in Balochistan and calls upon all political elements in the province and beyond to unequivocally condemn these killings and play their role in ending such callous acts of violence.The precarious situation in Balochistan has been further compounded by targeting of human rights defenders in the province by the various parties to the simmering conflict, making access to reliable information on the human rights situation all the more difficult. The murder of two HRCP activists and three journalists in the province in 2011 signifies the dangers that those highlighting human rights violations face on a daily basis.

HRCP calls upon the government to deal with threats to human rights defenders and facilitate their safe access to all parts of the province. It also expects the civil society and the media to engage more diligently with the issue and play their role in ending the silence on violations of human rights and demand justice for violations.The primary responsibility for ensuring rights and tackling this unfortunate state of affairs lies with the government, but that does not mean that the people have to remain passive spectators until the state is woken from its slumber. The people must realize that these problems are not Balochistan’s problems alone and that their resolution is a vital prerequisite to the progress and prosperity of the country. It is time for every citizen to join the people of Balochistan in their struggle and reassure them that they do not stand alone in their struggle for the realisation of their rights. HRCP urges the government to take immediate and meaningful measures to ensure all human rights for all people in Balochistan, including their right to life, justice, peace, progress, control over their resources and democratic management of their affairs.”

Zohra Yusuf
Chairperson

 In a statement issued on Thursday, the Commission said: “HRCP is grieved at the murder earlier today of Zarteef Afridi in Khyber Agency. Zarteef was a tireless human rights defender who dedicated his life to promoting human rights, tolerance and peace in a region beset with conflict. Repeated threats to his life had failed to deter him from his work. In his death, the civil society has lost a committed campaigner for the cause of human rights. HRCP is grieved at his death and condoles with Zarteef’s family at their loss.

 Zarteef’s murder also underscores the escalating threats that those working for human rights face in Pakistan, particularly in the tribal areas. HRCP calls upon the government to realize its duty to do everything within its power to apprehend Zarteef’s killers and show through its actions in the next few days its commitment to protect and facilitate human rights defenders.”

Zohra Yusuf

Chairperson

A statement issued by the Commission on Friday said: “The ‘unofficial’ ban on BBC and other foreign news channels by cable operators across the country is a matter of grave concern because it is not only an utterly unacceptable denial of access to viewers but also a flagrant violation of the right to information and freedom of expression. In today’s world such attempts to bar access to information are also futile. HRCP notes with dismay that the government has also not acted to prevent this arbitrary blocking of foreign news channels despite the lapse of a number of days.

If any quarter has any grievance against the broadcasters then other options, such as legal recourse, are available. HRCP urges immediate corrective measures by Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) and the Ministry of Information to end the ban on these channels and also proceed against those responsible in order to prevent a recurrence.”

Zohra Yusuf

Chairperson

The journalists-AP Television News cameraman Umar Meraj, Al-Jazeera English online contributor Showkat Shafi, Getty Images photojournalist Yawar Kabli, and photojournalist Shahid Tantray for the Hindi-language daily Dainik Bhaskar-were covering a protest in the city of Srinagar when they were assaulted by paramilitary forces and the police, news reports said. Officials kicked and beat the journalists using their rifle butts, batons, and fists, witnesses said, according to news reports.

The journalists were reporting on a strike in which schools and businesses had been shut down to protest the alleged detention of dozens of protesting minors in custody. Kashmir has long been the site of separatist groups calling for independence from India or a merger with Pakistan.

“Security forces in Indian-controlled Kashmir consistently operate with an overly aggressive approach toward the media covering this important, long-running story,” said Bob Dietz, CPJ’s Asia program coordinator. “If the local police will not conduct an investigation into the incident, the state government must step in to examine the case.”

AP South Asia Bureau Chief Ravi Nessman told CPJ that police accounts of the incident were inconsistent and gave evasive, defensive responses to his demands for an investigation. In an open letter calling for a transparent investigation, the Foreign Correspondents Club of South Asia reported that the police had not interviewed Meraj while investigating the incident.

The police report of the incident said: “The allegations leveled by the media persons were found to be baseless and concocted.”

In August, CPJ reported that two photojournalists had been beaten by police and detained for several hours while covering a protest that escalated into a violent clash between youth and government forces in Srinagar. In July 2010, CPJ called for national authorities in India to address complaints from local journalists in India-controlled Kashmir who said they were prevented from covering the government crackdown on protests that killed 15 people.

CPJ is a New York-based, independent, nonprofit organization

that works to safeguard press freedom worldwide.

Reports from Srinagar indicate four journalists were assaulted and one of them briefly detained by personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), while covering protests that broke out in Srinagar’s Old City after Friday prayers. Umar Mehraj, a video journalist for Associated Press, Showkat Shafi, a contributor to Al Jazeera English online, and Yawar Kabli of Getty Images and Kashmir Dispatch were assaulted and their equipment partly damaged. Shahid Tantray, who works with the widely circulated Hindi-language daily Dainik Bhaskar suffered serious injury and was briefly detained.

“The IFJ notes that two photojournalists were attacked by security forces in virtually identical circumstances just three months ago,” IFJ Asia-Pacific Director Jacqueline Park said.

“These recurrent incidents show that the visual coverage of protests and demonstrations in Kashmir often triggers serious anxieties among the security forces, leading them to deal violently with journalists.

“Authorities in Kashmir must act quickly and firmly against the personnel involved in the latest assault.”

The IFJ urges authorities to develop a protocol in consultation with journalists in Kashmir to ensure that the coverage of events and incidents of public importance is possible without serious threat or impediment.

For further information contact IFJ Asia-Pacific on +612 9333 0919

The IFJ represents more than 600,000 journalists in 131 countries

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