Australian envoy reaffirms commitment to supporting rights initiatives

ISLAMABAD: Australia’s top diplomatic envoy to Pakistan has reaffirmed his country’s commitment to supporting human rights initiatives including the “reduction of crimes subject to the death penalty.”

Neil Hawkins, the Australian High Commissioner to Pakistan, shared these views in a meeting with Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri here on Thursday.

“The High Commissioner reaffirmed Australia’s commitment to supporting human rights initiatives, including advocacy for mental health awareness, the reduction of crimes subject to the death penalty, and the promotion of tolerance through interfaith dialogue,” said an official statement from the Senate Secretariat issued after the meeting.

It merits a mention here that on July 18 this year, the Senate passed the Criminal Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2025, that seeks to abolish death penalty for anyone found guilty of the crimes like “assault or criminal force to women, and stripping her of her clothes,” and “harbouring hijacker.”

The bill mainly replaces the death penalty with life imprisonment in the cases involving the aforementioned offences.

Zehri from Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), who is also the Chairperson of the Senate’s Functional Committee on Human Rights, opposed this bill in the said Senate session.

She supported the death penalty in cases involving serious assault on women, saying that more stringent laws be introduced and implemented in this regard.

The National Assembly also passed this bill on the 6th of last month.

Meanwhile, Senator Zehri, in the meeting with the Australian diplomat, highlighted the challenges faced in Balochistan, including limited communication facilities, restricted job opportunities, and the need for stronger governance mechanisms to reduce public frustration.

She stressed that long-term stability requires not only security but also investment in human development, particularly in education, health, women’s empowerment, and the promotion of interfaith understanding to strengthen social cohesion, said the official statement.

The Australian diplomat shared his observations from recent visits to Balochistan, noting that interactions with students, particularly young women, reflected the region’s strong potential for progress.

He emphasized the need to equip universities with specialised training in mining and related sectors to generate meaningful employment opportunities for local communities, while also highlighting the role of interfaith dialogue in building inclusive and tolerant societies, according to the statement.

“Concluding the discussion, it was mutually affirmed that peace and stability in Balochistan are contingent upon inclusive development, expanded economic opportunity, interfaith harmony, and the protection of fundamental rights. The meeting concluded with a reaffirmation of commitment to strengthening cooperation in pursuit of these shared objectives,” said the statement.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025