Human rights situation: Babar wants UN report placed before parliament

ISLAMABAD: Former senator Farhatullah Babar Friday called for placing before Parliament the last year report of the third Universal Periodic Review (UPR) containing the UN recommendations and the promises made by Pakistan to improve its human rights record.

He was speaking at a discussion on human rights defenders at the HRCP office here. Babar said the human rights situation in the country had been progressively deteriorating because of the war on terror and the so-called national security considerations.

"The conflict zones of tribal areas and Balochistan have become inaccessible, the internment centres have turned into Guantanamo bay-like prisons and there’s no legislation to protect the rights of refugees. Enforced disappearances continue with impunity despite admission recently before the Senate panel by the Chairman of Commission on Disappearances that 153 security personnel were found involved in it," he said.

A great threat to human rights is the diminishing security of human rights defenders, under attack from both state and non-state actors. The nature of attacks varies from threat to life, limb and liberty to restrictions on movement, character-assassination, surveillance, censorship etc.

He said 2018 marked the 20th anniversary of adoption by UNGA of UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders — a move supported by Pakistan. However, in Nov 2015 Pakistan voted against a UNGA Resolution recognizing the role of human rights defenders and seeking protection for them.

He also called for subjecting the internment centres to the normal jail rules and demilitarisation of the erstwhile tribal areas as they had been merged with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Babar proposed legislation to recognise the role of human rights defenders and ensure their protection against excesses.

He said a bill for protection and security of journalists had been finalised by the Senate committee and called for its early adoption. “The state response to calls for enforcing human rights has been to use force, intimidation and coercion as witnessed in the case of organisations like PTM which are demonised and intimidated, he said.