NA human rights panel to inspect Adiala jail facilities next week

ISLAMABAD: The Standing Committee of the National Assembly on Human Rights has decided to visit Adiala jail next week to observe the facilities provided to the prisoners. The committee expressed displeasure over the incident that occurred on November 26, 2024, in Islamabad and has decided to invite the IG and DIG Islamabad Police to the next meeting for a briefing on the incident. The meeting of the standing committee was held with Chairman Sahibzada Muhammad Hamid Raza at the Parliament House on Tuesday.

Committee members from the PTI expressed discontent over the events of November 26 and alleged police brutality towards protesters that day. Chairman Sahibzada Hamid Raza and PTI members claimed that peaceful protesters were mistreated on November 26, resulting in the deaths of several workers due to gunfire. They have summoned IG Islamabad Police Ali Nasir Rizvi to the next meeting for a briefing. Committee member Ms Zartaj Gul suggested sending a letter to the jail superintendent indicating the committee’s desire to visit, to which the chairman agreed to form a committee for the visit.

Sahibzada Hamid Raza said that the opposition leaders of the Senate and National Assembly were not treated fairly. The committee also decided to visit Adiala jail to assess the situation and draft a letter to the superintendent regarding this matter.

The committee deliberated on the Child Marriage Bill proposed by member Ms Sharmila Farooqi, which addresses the issue of determining the minimum age for marriage.

The Ministry of Religious Affairs informed the meeting that marriage is not only a human rights issue but also a matter of Sharia, suggesting that the bill be reviewed by the Council of Islamic Ideology and Ministry of Religious Affairs. The committee proposed setting the minimum marriage age at 18 years in Islamabad, following Sindh’s example, to prevent early marriages of girls. After a vote, the majority of members opposed sending the bill to the Ministry of Religious Affairs and decided to keep it within the Human Rights Committee.

The Committee emphasized the need for both the Treasury and opposition benches to take measures for political stability in Pakistan. The Committee expressed concern over the poor performance of the Ministry of Human Rights in protecting the rights of citizens and directed them to establish better communication with the Ministry of Interior for this purpose.