In Pakistan: Human rights? or wrongs?
HRCP report paints a gloomy picture of the state of human rights in the country.
HRCP report paints a gloomy picture of the state of human rights in the country.
ISLAMABAD:
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) launched its annual report on Thursday. While the findings of the report painted a gloomy picture of the state of human rights in the country, the highlights of the report suggested that the unprecedented milestone of a democratically elected government completing its tenure offered hope that, given the chance, the people of Pakistan could extract themselves from the quagmire.
Freedom of expression
14
At least 14 journalists were killed in Pakistan in 2012.
151
According to Press Freedom Index, Pakistan was one of the deadliest countries for journalists for the second year running, with a ranking of 151 out of 179 countries.
Freedom of association
356
At least 356 political activists were killed in 2012 in Karachi alone on account of their party affiliation.
Health
Rs7,845m
In the 2012-13 fiscal, the allocation of funds to the health sector further declined to a mere 0.2 percent (Rs. 7,845 million) of GNP.
9m
There were around 9 million drug addicts in Pakistan and the number was on the rise. Two million of the addicts were aged between 15-25 years and the number of female addicts was around 200,000.
22
Pakistan ranked sixth among the 22 high-risk tuberculosis countries.
1.6m
About 1.6 million cases of malaria occurred annually.
One
One out of every nine women in Pakistan faced the risk of breast cancer which resulted in 40,000 deaths every year, higher than in any other country in Asia.
Law and order
350
police encounters were reported from across the country in 2012 in which 403 suspects were killed.
48
drone attacks took place in FATA in 2012, compared to 74 in 2011. Estimates of casualties varied between 240 and 400.
1,577
terrorist attacks took place across Pakistan in 2012, claiming the lives of 2,050 people and causing injuries to another 3,822.
100
Shia Hazaras were killed in Balochistan alone.
2,284
people died in ethnic, sectarian and politically-linked violence in Karachi in 2012.
Jails, prisoners and disappearances
75,444
There were a total of 75,444 detainees in Pakistan’s prisons against the authorised capacity of 44,578.
1,289
There were 1,289 juvenile prisoners in jails across the country, and an overwhelming majority of them was under trial.
Freedom of thaought, conscience and religion
72
At least 72 dead bodies were recovered from Balochistan of individuals who had gone missing in previous months.
583
583 people were killed and 853 injured in 213 incidents of sectarian-related terrorist attacks and sectarian clashes.
20
As many as 20 Ahmadis were killed on account of their religious identity.
Six
In Karachi, at least six churches were attacked, two of them within a period of 10 days in October.
Education
Pakistan stood at number 52 in the world ranking of countries according to the percentage of women in parliament.
121
At least 121 schools were targeted by militants opposed to education, especially girls’ education.
Rs71.6b
In the budget for 2012-13, primary education got Rs 71.6 billion and secondary education Rs 69.4 billion – too little to realize MDGs.
22
out of every 25 primary school-age children were expected to fail or drop out of school before the fifth grade.
10.9%
Around 10.9 percent of schools in Pakistan lacked proper buildings, 37.7% lacked boundary walls, 33.9% had no drinking water facility, 36.9% lacked toilets, and 59.6% schools had no electricity.
Women
52
Pakistan stood at number 52 in the world ranking of countries according to the percentage of women in parliament.
5.1m
According to UNESCO, at least 5.1 million Pakistani children were out of school, 63 percent of whom were girls.
913
As many as 913 girls and women were killed in the name of honour in 2012. These included at least 99 minor girls.
74%
74% of the girls married off in Charsadda and Mardan districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2012 were under 16.
Environment
National Policy on Climate Change was approved by the cabinet
World Health Organization deemed water from Keenjhar Lake, a protected wetland under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, unfit for consumption.
2,500
Over 2,500 trees were cut down for development projects.
Children
A marginal decline was observed in infant mortality and under five year mortality rates in 2012 but Pakistan still lagged behind other South Asian countries.
58
cases of polio, a disease that afflicts only two other countries in the world, were reported from 28 districts of Pakistan.
2nd
Pakistan had the world’s second highest number of out-of-school children aged five to nine years.
2.8
At 2.8 percent of its gross national product (GNP), Pakistan’s expenditure on education was the second lowest in South Asia.
1,573
During the first six months of 2012, 1,573 incidents of child sexual abuse were recorded.
10m
Almost 10 million children were engaged in child labour.
Refugees
Nothing was done to bring home a quarter of a million Pakistanis stranded in Bangladesh since 1971.
1.6m
registered and one million unregistered Afghans still remained in Pakistan
The monsoon floods and drought in Tharparkar forced over a million people from their homes.
757,996
At least 757,996 Pakistanis (163,102 families) remained internally displaced by conflict.
Editing by: Farahnaz Zahidi
Published in The Express Tribune, April 5th, 2013.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) launched its annual report on Thursday. While the findings of the report painted a gloomy picture of the state of human rights in the country, the highlights of the report suggested that the unprecedented milestone of a democratically elected government completing its tenure offered hope that, given the chance, the people of Pakistan could extract themselves from the quagmire.
Freedom of expression
14
At least 14 journalists were killed in Pakistan in 2012.
151
According to Press Freedom Index, Pakistan was one of the deadliest countries for journalists for the second year running, with a ranking of 151 out of 179 countries.
Freedom of association
356
At least 356 political activists were killed in 2012 in Karachi alone on account of their party affiliation.
Health
Rs7,845m
In the 2012-13 fiscal, the allocation of funds to the health sector further declined to a mere 0.2 percent (Rs. 7,845 million) of GNP.
9m
There were around 9 million drug addicts in Pakistan and the number was on the rise. Two million of the addicts were aged between 15-25 years and the number of female addicts was around 200,000.
22
Pakistan ranked sixth among the 22 high-risk tuberculosis countries.
1.6m
About 1.6 million cases of malaria occurred annually.
One
One out of every nine women in Pakistan faced the risk of breast cancer which resulted in 40,000 deaths every year, higher than in any other country in Asia.
Law and order
350
police encounters were reported from across the country in 2012 in which 403 suspects were killed.
48
drone attacks took place in FATA in 2012, compared to 74 in 2011. Estimates of casualties varied between 240 and 400.
1,577
terrorist attacks took place across Pakistan in 2012, claiming the lives of 2,050 people and causing injuries to another 3,822.
100
Shia Hazaras were killed in Balochistan alone.
2,284
people died in ethnic, sectarian and politically-linked violence in Karachi in 2012.
Jails, prisoners and disappearances
75,444
There were a total of 75,444 detainees in Pakistan’s prisons against the authorised capacity of 44,578.
1,289
There were 1,289 juvenile prisoners in jails across the country, and an overwhelming majority of them was under trial.
Freedom of thaought, conscience and religion
72
At least 72 dead bodies were recovered from Balochistan of individuals who had gone missing in previous months.
583
583 people were killed and 853 injured in 213 incidents of sectarian-related terrorist attacks and sectarian clashes.
20
As many as 20 Ahmadis were killed on account of their religious identity.
Six
In Karachi, at least six churches were attacked, two of them within a period of 10 days in October.
Education
Pakistan stood at number 52 in the world ranking of countries according to the percentage of women in parliament.
121
At least 121 schools were targeted by militants opposed to education, especially girls’ education.
Rs71.6b
In the budget for 2012-13, primary education got Rs 71.6 billion and secondary education Rs 69.4 billion – too little to realize MDGs.
22
out of every 25 primary school-age children were expected to fail or drop out of school before the fifth grade.
10.9%
Around 10.9 percent of schools in Pakistan lacked proper buildings, 37.7% lacked boundary walls, 33.9% had no drinking water facility, 36.9% lacked toilets, and 59.6% schools had no electricity.
Women
52
Pakistan stood at number 52 in the world ranking of countries according to the percentage of women in parliament.
5.1m
According to UNESCO, at least 5.1 million Pakistani children were out of school, 63 percent of whom were girls.
913
As many as 913 girls and women were killed in the name of honour in 2012. These included at least 99 minor girls.
74%
74% of the girls married off in Charsadda and Mardan districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2012 were under 16.
Environment
National Policy on Climate Change was approved by the cabinet
World Health Organization deemed water from Keenjhar Lake, a protected wetland under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, unfit for consumption.
2,500
Over 2,500 trees were cut down for development projects.
Children
A marginal decline was observed in infant mortality and under five year mortality rates in 2012 but Pakistan still lagged behind other South Asian countries.
58
cases of polio, a disease that afflicts only two other countries in the world, were reported from 28 districts of Pakistan.
2nd
Pakistan had the world’s second highest number of out-of-school children aged five to nine years.
2.8
At 2.8 percent of its gross national product (GNP), Pakistan’s expenditure on education was the second lowest in South Asia.
1,573
During the first six months of 2012, 1,573 incidents of child sexual abuse were recorded.
10m
Almost 10 million children were engaged in child labour.
Refugees
Nothing was done to bring home a quarter of a million Pakistanis stranded in Bangladesh since 1971.
1.6m
registered and one million unregistered Afghans still remained in Pakistan
The monsoon floods and drought in Tharparkar forced over a million people from their homes.
757,996
At least 757,996 Pakistanis (163,102 families) remained internally displaced by conflict.
Editing by: Farahnaz Zahidi
Published in The Express Tribune, April 5th, 2013.