LAHORE: Human Rights Commission of Pakistan on Friday said that civil society of Pakistan will not accept any negotiations or deal with extremist groups like Tehreek-e-Taliban who were involved in the killing of eighty thousand innocent people of the country.
These views were expressed by chairperson HRCP Hina Jilani while addressing a press conference along with secretary general Haris Khalique and veteran journalist Hussain Naqi.
Hina said that commission also showed its concerns over government's failure to impose the writ of the state even after at least seven police officers were killed during the recent violence perpetrated by supporters of the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP). The government's negotiations with the TLP will embolden other proscribed organisations that have no compunction in seizing the little civic space left to ordinary people.
The HRCP said that the deteriorating state of human rights in the country has reached a tipping point. In a situation where people are caught between spiralling food inflation and the insidious rise of religious extremism, continued attempts by the establishment and the ruling government to marginalise Parliament are threat to the country's democracy. HRCP also strongly opposes any amendments that curb the power of local governments.
HRCP welcomes the Supreme Court's decision to penalise the miscreants who attacked a Hindu temple in Karak district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. This sets an important precedent and should make it clear that the state will not tolerate any attacks on religious minorities' places of worship. Regrettably, this action alone is not enough to protect freedom of religion or belief.
We reiterate the need to implement the 2014 Tassadaq Jillani Supreme Court judgment, establish an independent statutory national commission on minorities, enact legislation against forced conversions, and revisit the recommendations of the Senate's 2018 report on the blasphemy laws.
While HRCP supports the urgent need to legislate against the practice of enforced disappearances, it is concerned that the draft legislation does not make adequate provision for deterrence or prosecution, or for holding state agencies accountable for employing this practice as a tool of intimidation.
We welcome the passage of the Protection of Journalists and Media Professionals Act, but the procedural rules that have yet to be issued must not infringe on the right to freedom of expression and opinion, nor should the process of issuing these rules be needlessly delayed.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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