Violations of human rights continued throughout the country during the calendar year 2003, and there was no change in police culture,, said Human Rights Commission Pakistan (HRCP) Chairman Mumtaz Ahmed Tarar while talking to newsmen here on Wednesday.
He said women were the worst victims of human rights violations, as gang-rape and domestic violence continued unchecked against them.
The cases of police torture on innocent citizens were reported, while the incidents of lawlessness ie murder, dacoity, robbery, theft, etc continued, he said, adding even parliamentarians were arrested and tortured, while rights of the minorities were also violated in the year 2003.
Releasing the annual report 2003 of Human Rights Commission Pakistan, Tarar said about 5,000 incidents of police torture took place in the jails and police stations in the year under review, which is clear violation of Article 14(2) of the Constitution.
The conditions of prisoners in the jails are deplorable, as they are deprived of basic facilities, including clean drinking-water and proper medical care, while the irony of the matter is that out of 85,000 prisoners, 45,000 are children, he added.
Highlighting the plight of Pakistani women, the HRCP chief said about 500 women were killed on account of honour killing while 210 women were gang-raped during 2003.
About 90 percent of these ill-fated women belong to poor section of the society.
Furthermore, a large number of people were living below the poverty line, and the government has failed to check the rise in poverty graph, he added.
Expressing his grave concern over human rights situation in Pakistan, he urged the government to take stringent steps to improve the situation so as people could lead their lives with dignity.
Malik Israr Illahi and Omer Ayub Butt also spoke on the occasion.