ISLAMABAD: Hina Rabbani Khar in a statement at the 14th Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the Human Rights Council in Geneva stated that Pakistan staunchly supported the promotion and application of human rights universally.
In the second round of UPR, Khar presented Pakistan’s national report on promotion and protection to the Human Rights Council. Khar mentioned that Pakistan was committed to combating terrorist. However, she termed drone attacks to be counterproductive and against the sovereignty of the country.
Pakistan’s foreign minister understated the government’s effort in improving the human rights conditions in Pakistan, adding that establishing National Commission on Human Rights and passing bills for women and children rights was a remarkable move made by the government.
According to a press release, a few countries including India, UK, Brazil, Indonesia and South Africa have already presented their Human Rights reports. Other countries including Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Japan and Switzerland presented their reports to the Human Rights Council during the current session.
The delegation sent to Geneva included Advisor to Prime Minister on Human Rights Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, Advisor to Prime Minster on National Harmony Dr Paul Bhatti, Chairman, National Assembly Standing Committee on Human Rights Riaz Fatyana, and Member of the National Assembly Dr Araish Kumar.
Earlier this year, the Human Rights Watch had issued a report terming the past year ‘disastrous’ for the country. The report stated that the there were increasing militant attacks on civilians and inflation was on the rise. Minorities on the other hand faced security issues.
It also mentioned the problems the country faced after experiencing floods for the second year in a row.
Text of Khar's speech can be found here.
Western countries reject Pakistan’s claim
Western countries and the normally anti-Western Belarus countered that in Pakistan religious minorities were persecuted, that dissent was often brutally suppressed by the army, and that little was done to tackle human trafficking.
The Pakistan review, its second since the council was set up in 2006, comes at a time when it has been under global scrutiny following the shooting by Islamic radicals of a girl educational activist and riots against Christians.
It also comes just two weeks before it hopes to be appointed as a candidate of Asian countries to full membership of the council, where it is already active as the official voice of the 56-nation Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.
Some Western countries have already indicated they do not see Pakistan as a suitable candidate - although they accept there is little they can do to head off a clear majority vote for it in the UN General Assembly on November 12.
Serious concerns
"We have serious concerns about the human rights situation in Pakistan," US ambassador Eileen Donahoe told the council on Tuesday, referring to army operations "aimed at silencing dissent" in the rebellious province of Balochistan.
She said Pakistan should ensure that those guilty of torture, enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings there must be prosecuted, while laws often used to justify discrimination against religious minorities should be reformed.
These remarks were directed at the country's "blasphemy" law, which provides for a range of harsh penalties up to execution for any act deemed to offend against Islam, and especially its Prophet Mohammed.
A British delegate told the council that the recent case of a young Christian girl accused by an imam of burning pages of the Koran showed the danger of the law for ordinary Pakistanis, including Muslims outside the Sunni majority.
"Credible elections in Pakistan will require that the rights of women are protected and political participation is ensured," said the delegate, Phil Tissot. Minorities should also be allowed to vote freely, he added.
The US and British strictures were echoed by Sweden Switzerland and a range of other European countries. And Belarus, which normally lines up with developing countries in UN bodies, took an even tougher line.
COMMENTS (14)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
@Cautious: "Few would argue that you have a right (human or otherwise) to enter another country without permission. Many would argue that no country has the right to prohibit it’s citizens from leaving."
This is the current thought process. Way back in the early 1990s V P Singh had raised the point that if the capital surplus developed nations argue for seamless mobility of capital, why then should they not permit seamless mobility of labour? OFcourse there is no simplistic answer. Just as capital mobility brings with it many issues such as money laundering, tax evasion, volatility in capital markets which may seriously impoverish millions of pensioners relying on their investments etc. labour mobility may also bring issues related to assimilation/lack thereof, terror, racism, brain drain etc. But just as there appears to be an effort to address barriers to capital mobility, sooner or later the issue of barriers of labour mobility will have to be addressed.
@shakrullah: I salute the forthrightness of your statement. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Much Pain and sorrow seems to hidden behind the words. Hope that the Fresh elections bring better news !
HINA RABBANI'S STATEMENT THAT PAKISTAN STAUNCHLY SUPPORTS
PROMOTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS REVEALS SICKNESS OF OUR MIND AND SOUL:
WE DON'T HAVE THE COURAGE TO SEE WHAT WE REALLY ARE . BY FEEDING
LIES TO OURSELVES ALL THE TIME , WE POLLUTE OUR MINDS AND UNDERMINE
OUR SANITY . IT WILL BE A REAL MORAL ADVANCEMENT FOR US TO
ACKNOWLEDGE THAT WE ARE NOT STAUNCH SUPPORTERS OF HUMAN RIGHTS
BUT THEIR WORST VIOLATORS.
the first and foremost application of HR would be shooting down drones. Can we please act on HR and HRK..
@Logic
'Is the right to migrate not a basic human right?'
You raised a very pertinent question! Honestly. One day it might become a subject of serious discussion among the comity of nations, who knows?
@logic
Few would argue that you have a right (human or otherwise) to enter another country without permission. Many would argue that no country has the right to prohibit it's citizens from leaving.
The Pak FM statement on HR in Pakistan is nothing but a crude joke and the worst part is that little is being done by the state to minimise HR violations in Pakistan.
Is the right to migrate not a basic human right? And yet nearly every country of the world is only open to internal migration.
Nice to see her back, where was she, we missed her...our Lady FM, what a joke, who will take her seriously, Mr Zardari enjoys ruining the image of Pakistan by such appointments and controls everything
Human rights violation being so rampant in Pakistan, the country should not even be allowed to be a part of the Human Rights Council. What a sham. I think Ms Khar forgot the violation of the basic rights of Ahmadis and the inhumane application of blasphemy laws which not only targets innocent Ahmadis but also victimizes innocent Christians and Hindus. A country that boasts to be an ISLAMIC REPUBLIC and can't provide religious freedom should seriously question its definition of human rights.
This lady is totally incompetent. I just read Pakistan's record of human rights of 2011 and it is not pleasant reading: http://www.hrw.org/world-report-2012/world-report-2012-pakistan It all happened under her watch and since then things have gone worse. In Allah's name she should go and spend more time with her children. If she has none then she should perhaps take up modelling.
So, is Pakistan reversing the barbaric anti-Ahmadi laws? Or are Ahmadis still excluded from Pakistan's "human rights" talk?
will this fashion show stop..Pakistan needs a serious FM...
Good stance, but does she realize what she is committing Pakistan to? Pakistan has a dispicable record on HRs, she talks of women and children but nothing on minorities and religious freedom etc. The same UN body is going to hold Pakistan repsonsible once they start analyzing the ensuing details.