Integrating FATA

Letter October 03, 2015
The writer accurately emphasised the importance of provision of basic human rights to the people of Fata

ISLAMABAD: This is with reference to the article “Integrating FATA” by Arshad Mahmood, published on October 2. The writer has accurately emphasised the importance of provision of basic human rights to the people of Fata through required amendments to relevant laws and legislations. More specifically, the rights of children must be prioritised as they have been consistently vulnerable to extremist ideology.

According to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, under Section 21 and 40, a child shall not be deprived of his or her liberty unlawfully or arbitrarily and if a child is arrested, then his or her detention or imprisonment shall be in conformity with the law and shall be used only as a measure of last resort and for the shortest appropriate period of time. The child should be given a fair trial and be represented by a legal counsel of his or her choice, and have the right of appeal against the conviction and sentence. However, all such rights are usurped by the Frontier Crime Regulation (FCR). The FCR also contradicts Articles 8, 9, and 10 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The FCR also violates provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, 1966. There is an immediate need to support the complete abolition and repeal of the FCR so that Fata may be brought under the purview of the Constitution of Pakistan, 1973 in the same manner that the rest of Pakistan enjoys.

Amina Sarwar

Published in The Express Tribune, October 4th, 2015.

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