The clarity deficit

Organisations such as the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) rarely make the headlines, but a recent press release by the HRCP sets out with commendable clarity what it perceives as a lack of clarity and direction in the manner in which the government is dealing with the multitude of crises that today confront the state. Of particular concern to the HRCP is that the expressed desire by the government to talk with terrorists at whatever cost is ultimately counterproductive, and that so long as the terms under which talks take place remain hidden from the public gaze, then the wider population has every justification for its concern that its rights are being negotiated away and that the writ of the state is further eroded. The HRCP is also clear in its understanding that drone attacks are not the root cause of terrorism, and that overemphasis on drones and their collateral damage as compared with the many more thousands being killed in terrorist incidents on an almost daily basis, is disingenuous. Drones are but a corner of the canvas, the big picture is filled out by the lack of a defined response to advancing militancy.

The HRCP also spells out its concerns about changes to the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA). By all means, the state must fight terrorism, but not at the expense of the rights of the ordinary citizen. Law-enforcement agencies must not be given carte blanche to fire at will without warning, make people ‘disappear’, mine the copious flow of electronic data that crowds the ether without check or balance and circumvent the rule of law under the guise of being its upholder. Lawlessness cannot be fought with lawlessness, and there is a real risk that agencies of all types are now being empowered in ways that are open to abuse and lack transparency and accountability. Now is the time for the government to lead from the front, deliver on promises and do both with transparency and clarity.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 23^rd, 2013.

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