Even amid growing fears, the fight for human rights in Pakistan goes on

On a recent Sunday morning when most people are probably enjoying the weekend by sleeping in and having a late breakfast, Asad Iqbal Butt is up and about early in the morning, rushing to a painter to get a banner made for a protest.

He then takes out his smartphone and mass texts a reminder to his friends, activists and journalists: “Please attend the protest marking International Human Rights Day today.” Even at age 70, Butt remains a tireless activist, vigorously playing a leading role in the human rights movement in the city. From enforced disappearances of political and rights activists to the government’s curbs on freedom of expression; from so-called ‘honour’ killings and forced conversion of Hindu girls in rural Sindh to demanding the abolishment of the death penalty and laws conflicting with the basic human rights; from depoliticisation of the police force in the province to expressing anger over terrorist attacks anywhere in the country, for decades Butt has been a familiar face leading the protest demonstrations, press conferences or fact-finding committees to probe human rights violations.

“The situation of human rights has been worsening day-by-day and fear has been increasing,” Butt, who is the Vice-chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan from Sindh, told The News after leading a protest rally outside Karachi Press Club this past Sunday demanding the recovery of “missing persons” on the occasion of International Human Rights Day.

“The instances of enforced disappearances have also becoming alarming,” he said. “State actors and non-state actors can hurt you or make you disappear if they don’t agree with you.” Affiliated with the HRCP since 1995, Butt’s journey of human rights activism and politics is more than 50 years old. He played an instrumental role in the movement for restoration of democracy in the tyrannical rules of military dictators General Ziaul Haq and General (retd) Pervez Musharraf.

“Things are getting harder, even worse than they were in Zia and Musharraf eras,” he said, adding that the detention of rights activists has also created a state of fear which is obstructing the activities of rights activists in Pakistan.

“We have recent examples of our fellows Punhal Sario, Saeed Baloch and Wahab Baloch, whose crime was only to raise their voices against enforced disappearances,” said Butt. “Since then, they have also gone missing, setting a dangerous trend.”

However, Butt has not lost all hope and said that some recent successes have been encouraging. “When a missing person comes back after launching protest rallies for his release, it gives us confidence,” he said.

Stressing the importance of people who raise their voices for others’ rights, the veteran rights activist said, “We, the rights activists or the HRCP, are a hope for society. People from far-flung areas come to our office to meet us, discuss their distressing stories or cases and request us to raise their issues. Their trust is our strength.”