HRCP demands steps to ensure human rights protection

PESHAWAR: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) on Tuesday urged the government to take immediate steps to ensure the protection of human rights.

The demand was made as HRCP Vice-Chairman for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chapter Akbar Khan and other office-bearers released the report about KP for the year 2023 at the Peshawar Press Club. The report pointed to killings, health, climate crisis and public unrest in KP last year.

Akbar Khan said the report highlighted some distressing incidents in KP in the year 2023.

He said more than 160 cops and over 70 military personnel were targeted in the province last year. The HRCP representative said more than 60 civilians and over 170 militants were killed that year in targeted operations.

The report said 11 percent of the province suffered from drug abuse in the province in 2023 last year while 40 lives were lost due to storms

and floods. It said despite the court orders, physically challenged

persons could not access different public places for lack of wheelchair access. The report said that 4.7 million children were out of school which included 66 percent girls.

The HRCP report said the rights of the citizens guaranteed by the constitution were violated after the May 9 violence when arrests were made.

It said 212,000 Afghan nationals were forcibly returned to their home country from KP.

The report said the good thing that happened was the appointment of Justice Mussarat Hilali as chief justice of the Peshawar High Court and she later became the judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.