‘Parties should cover human rights in manifestos’

HRCP activist asks politicians to step up and do their bit to curb violence in Karachi.

KARACHI: Some human rights activists feel that political parties are being apathetic towards the plight of people living in Karachi’s turbulent neighbourhoods and asked them on Monday to step up.

A discussion on violence in the city was organised at the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan’s (HRCP) office. Advocate Shahid Ali asked all political parties elaborate on human rights in their manifestos.

“Politicians have failed to mobilise the people of the city and curb the differences between them,” he said. “The least parties can do is to come up with a workable solution on how to improve the human rights situation and help defeat extremism.”

HRCP’s Asad Butt said that his organisation met members of political and religious parties but felt that they did not respond as they should have.

Activist Farhat Parveen, who heads NOW Communities, said all NGOs should join hands and work together to champion human rights. “Every organisation is concerned about their own project. This should be stopped and activists should come together.” Labour representative Shafiq Ghori discussed the rights of workers and said that one of the main reasons why the labourers are deprived of their rights is because they are hired on contracts. Two representatives from the Norwegian embassy, Shahid Malik and Humaira, also attended the discussion. They lauded the role of the activists and urged them to be cautious while stepping out onto field, which has become very dangerous.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 27^th, 2012.