Call for awareness about human rights

PESHAWAR: Speakers at a consultative session on Wednesday stressed the need for awareness about basic human rights at national and international levels being citizens of a country.

The session titled “Consultative session with media and civil society” was organised by the Society for Human Rights and Prisoners’ Aid (SHARP-Pakistan) at the Peshawar Press Club. Journalists, lawyers and representatives of civil society attended the event to know about national and international laws, signatories and Constitution of Pakistan regarding human and fundamental rights and status of Afghan refugees. Those who spoke on the occasion included Prof Nadeem Farid from Faculty of Law, University of Peshawar (UoP), Shahab Ali, Advocate High Court, and Memoona Batool Khan, director of a Khyber Pakhtunkhwa-based project.

Prof Nadeem Farid said that unfortunately, a majority of Pakistani population did not know about their basic human and fundamental rights as per the Constitution of Pakistan and international laws and that’s the reason that people could not dare to raise voice at any forum. He said that it was need of the hour to convey the relevant laws to every Pakistani or acquaint them with the knowledge of laws. The resource person said that Pakistan was signatory to the international conventions and covenants but the basic issue was lack of implementation.