Violations in Pakistan: Amnesty paints a grim picture of rights record
Report says SC ruling against enforced disappearances not being implemented
“The measures you take to protect the journalist are not being taken. Media people have been asking the government to appoint special prosecutors to follow up on cases related to violence against journalists. But the government seems to have ignored this,” he added. PHOTO: amnesty.org
KARACHI:
Establishment of military courts, lifting the moratorium on the death penalty, lack of movement on the Supreme Court ruling on enforced disappearances and attacks on journalists took centre stage in Amnesty International’s annual review of human rights in Pakistan.
“2014 was in many ways a dark year for human rights in Pakistan, ending on the horrific Taliban attack on a school in Peshawar. Civilians in Pakistan bore the brunt of violence … armed groups continue to show a shocking disregard for human lives,” said David Griffiths, Amnesty’s deputy director for the Asia Pacific region.
The authorities too often failed to provide adequate protection to those most at risk, and the responsible are rarely held to account, he added.
Scathingly critiquing the government’s inaction on the apex court’s ruling in 2013 ordering the recovery of victims of enforced disappearances, the 2015 Amnesty report claims that authorities failed to fulfill their obligations under international law and the constitution. The report also claims that several victims were later found dead with “bullet wounds and torture marks.”
Painting a grim picture of human rights in Pakistan, the report has also taken terrorists to task by highlighting gross human rights violations and killings by various terrorist groups in Pakistan, noting that “disproportionate use of force and indiscriminate attacks by all sides to the conflict” has resulted in the displacement of over a million people within the country.
“The killing spree that is unfolding in Pakistan must end immediately. As horrific as the Peshawar attack was, proving you are tough on crime by carrying out more killings is never the answer to combating violence,” added Griffiths while calling for the government to rethink its decision to lift the moratorium on the death penalty. Commenting on the restoration of death penalty in the country, Tariq Mahmood, a retired judge and law expert, said, “Terrorists are least bothered about their lives, so death sentence is not deterrence for them.”
“It’s certainly not the best option but doesn’t mean those convicted should not face death penalty,” he said.
The former judge further said that “The establishment of military courts in a democratic setup is unheard-of.”
Attacks against sectarian and religious minorities in Pakistan and the misuse of blasphemy laws have also been highlighted in the Amnesty report as areas of grave concern in Pakistan.
Similarly, the lack of protection afforded to journalists also appears as a core finding of the report. “Pakistan is one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists. Eight media workers were killed during the year, and journalists continue to face threats from all sides,” the report states. Commenting on the government’s inability to bring to task perpetrators of violence against journalists, former Express Tribune executive editor and senior journalist Muhammad Ziauddin said, “It is true that Pakistan is a dangerous country for journalists, we are at war. “The measures you take to protect the journalist are not being taken. Media people have been asking the government to appoint special prosecutors to follow up on cases related to violence against journalists. But the government seems to have ignored this,” he added.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 25th, 2015.
Establishment of military courts, lifting the moratorium on the death penalty, lack of movement on the Supreme Court ruling on enforced disappearances and attacks on journalists took centre stage in Amnesty International’s annual review of human rights in Pakistan.
“2014 was in many ways a dark year for human rights in Pakistan, ending on the horrific Taliban attack on a school in Peshawar. Civilians in Pakistan bore the brunt of violence … armed groups continue to show a shocking disregard for human lives,” said David Griffiths, Amnesty’s deputy director for the Asia Pacific region.
The authorities too often failed to provide adequate protection to those most at risk, and the responsible are rarely held to account, he added.
Scathingly critiquing the government’s inaction on the apex court’s ruling in 2013 ordering the recovery of victims of enforced disappearances, the 2015 Amnesty report claims that authorities failed to fulfill their obligations under international law and the constitution. The report also claims that several victims were later found dead with “bullet wounds and torture marks.”
Painting a grim picture of human rights in Pakistan, the report has also taken terrorists to task by highlighting gross human rights violations and killings by various terrorist groups in Pakistan, noting that “disproportionate use of force and indiscriminate attacks by all sides to the conflict” has resulted in the displacement of over a million people within the country.
“The killing spree that is unfolding in Pakistan must end immediately. As horrific as the Peshawar attack was, proving you are tough on crime by carrying out more killings is never the answer to combating violence,” added Griffiths while calling for the government to rethink its decision to lift the moratorium on the death penalty. Commenting on the restoration of death penalty in the country, Tariq Mahmood, a retired judge and law expert, said, “Terrorists are least bothered about their lives, so death sentence is not deterrence for them.”
“It’s certainly not the best option but doesn’t mean those convicted should not face death penalty,” he said.
The former judge further said that “The establishment of military courts in a democratic setup is unheard-of.”
Attacks against sectarian and religious minorities in Pakistan and the misuse of blasphemy laws have also been highlighted in the Amnesty report as areas of grave concern in Pakistan.
Similarly, the lack of protection afforded to journalists also appears as a core finding of the report. “Pakistan is one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists. Eight media workers were killed during the year, and journalists continue to face threats from all sides,” the report states. Commenting on the government’s inability to bring to task perpetrators of violence against journalists, former Express Tribune executive editor and senior journalist Muhammad Ziauddin said, “It is true that Pakistan is a dangerous country for journalists, we are at war. “The measures you take to protect the journalist are not being taken. Media people have been asking the government to appoint special prosecutors to follow up on cases related to violence against journalists. But the government seems to have ignored this,” he added.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 25th, 2015.