Human rights: report No country for peaceful men

Drone attacks, target killings, suicide attempts, violation of human rights and the list goes on.

ISLAMABAD:

Last year did not bode well for the religious minorities of Pakistan. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has termed 2010 as the most horrifying year for these people, which saw the carnage of Ahmedis in Lahore, gruesome murders of Christians and mass migration of Hindu communities from the southwest part of the country.

The launching ceremony of the report titled “State of Human Rights in 2010” by Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) was held on Thursday. Dr Mehdi Hasan, Chairperson HRCP and I A Rehman, secretary general of HRCP, expressed their grave concern over the deteriorating situation. Constant increase in the number of drone attacks, target killings, suicide attempts, violation of human rights in Balochistan and tribal areas among others were listed as the main factor.

According to the report, 99 Ahmedis were killed in incidents of faith-based violence. Around 17 members of minority communities were killed in the name of honour by their relatives, 418 people were killed in violence against various Muslim sects and 73 members of religious minority communities committed suicide, the report said.

Moreover, at least 64 people were charged under the blasphemy law, including Aasia Bibi, a Christian peasant. Three men including two Christian brothers, accused of blasphemy, were killed in police custody, according to the report.

Apart from the Christians, Sikhs of the northern parts of the country also had to face trying conditions. Around 25 of the 102 Sikh families living in the Orakzai Agency were earlier forced to flee. However, they returned after the situation improved. A staggering 500 Hindu families migrated to India from Balochistan after receiving death threats.

The overcrowded jails

Furthermore, Pakistani jails are also in a dismal condition. With an authorised capacity of 42,617 persons for 91 prisons in the country, more than 75,586 prisoners are being kept there. The breakup of the inmates shows that majority of them are under trial. Of these 931 are women and 1,154 juvenile detainees. And the courts’ propensity to award death sentences has pushed the death row population to around 8,000, with nearly 6,000 death penalty convicts in Punjab alone.

The ‘absence’ of law and order

The law and order situation in the country, as depicted by the report, was also not very rosy. During the last year 12,580 murder cases, 581 kidnappings for ransom and 16,977 cases of abduction were reported. Besides this 1,159 people including 1,041 civilians were killed in 67 suicide attacks and another 2,542 people lost their lives in terrorist attacks.

Around 237 political activists and 301 “other” civilians fell prey to target killings in Karachi and 118 more died in Balochistan, in similar incidents. Over 300 people were killed in “extremists’ attacks” on political meetings or religious processions.

Ironically, the US drones strikes which are conducted to destroy militant hideouts, led to a lot of “unwanted deaths” in the area, which has made the situation worse in the tribal region. According to the report, 957 innocent Pakistanis were killed in these strikes last year.

Highlighting the problems being faced by the “future of Pakistan”, the report says about 170 juveniles committed suicide across the country and child labour and abuse of domestic child workers remained widespread. At least 400 children went missing during the flood emergency.

The ignored sectors

Health, education and environment sectors remained ignored in monetary terms. Public sector expenditure on health in 2010 was projected to be 0.54 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). At least 4,000 Pakistani doctors accepted jobs abroad, creating a vacuum in many hospitals in Pakistan, the report said.

The government, despite declaring 2010 as “National Literacy Year”, allocated a meagre 2 per cent of the GDP for the education sector, according to the report.

Similarly, a 55 per cent cut was made in allocations for the environment ministry.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 15^th, 2011.