HRCP to monitor rally

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) will monitor the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)’s rally, scheduled to be held in Gujranwala on 16 October, said a press release here Monday. The statement stated that the HRCP believed that the state’s willingness to protect freedom of peaceful assembly was a robust indicator of its commitment to democracy, pluralism and social change. If Pakistan is to expand the shrinking space available to civil society, it is imperative that citizens in every part of the country are able to express their political opinions collectively—and to challenge dominant views—without fear of reprisal.