Provincial monitoring set up within days

LAHORE: The human rights ministry’s provincial monitoring cell is likely to become functional in a few days.

The cell had been delayed due to the unavailability of a police officer as it had not received any response from the Police department.For this purpose, the inspector general (IG) police has nominated an additional inspector general (AIG) as a member of the committee.

According to the plan, the provincial monitoring cell has to include a nominee of the police department (the AIG), besides the ministry of human rights regional director and an eminent civil society representative in the human rights field. Those at district level cells will comprise the DPO concerned, a representative of the ministry and a civil society official. The divisional level human rights monitoring cell will function under the provincial level monitoring cell.

Ministry of Human Rights Regional Director Arshad Mahmood Malik told The Express Tribune that a member was likely to be named from the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP). He said that all district level monitoring cells will report to the provincial committee about any human rights violations in their respective districts. He said that the contribution of district level monitoring cells will be finalised after a meeting with the police nominee for the provincial monitoring cell.

The director said that the ministry did not have local representatives in all the districts of Punjab therefore some officials of the ministry will represent more than one district cell initially. The DPO and civil society representative will be present there to report any kind of violation in that particular area, he added.

The Ministry of Human Rights was separated from the Ministry of Law and Justice in November 2008. The minister had then announced that task forces and human rights monitoring cells will be formed at district levels. The formulation of task forces, however, has still not been undertaken. A proposal to establish human rights courts at the district level is also pending.

Notice on jail incident:

Ministry of Human Rights has taken notice of reports according to which a part of a human finger found in the food of a prisoner in Kot Lakhpat prison. The ministry has sought an inquiry report from the jail administration. The regional director said he will visit the jail to inquire jail staff and inmates on Tuesday (today).

Published in The Express Tribune, August 31^st, 2010.