Human Rights situation in Pakistan and its peripheries
Speech delivered by Dr Shabir Choudhry
in a seminar in the UN Human Rights Council 39th Session in Geneva on 21
September 2018.
Mr Chairman
It is sad to note that situation of
human rights in Pakistan, and areas of Jammu and Kashmir under their
occupation, is getting from bad to worse. Those who are at the helm of affairs,
don’t seem to be concerned about this unfortunate situation.
Instead of formulating such policies
which can help to promote human rights and peace, the rulers are planning to
introduce more strict laws. The establishment has appointed in key positions
those people who are arrogant and vindictive; and sadly, they take pride in
their undemocratic and xenophobic values.
How sad, that those who demand
fundamental human rights, and expose culprits, are victimised as traitors and
agents of other countries; and those who advance extremism, violence, religious
hatred and intolerance, they are promoted as patriots, and heroes.
To rub salt in wounds of victims and
human rights activists around the globe, instead of punishing these people,
culprits are rewarded and protected.
Result of this unwise strategy is
growing anger and resentment in all parts of Pakistan; and areas under their
control. Human rights activists, and organisation in Pakistan and abroad, are
extremely concerned about this unpopular and unethical trend.
Brad Adam, Asia
Director of the Human Rights Watch, pleaded the government of
Pakistan to reverse all abusive laws and policies, and exhibit unpretentious
commitment to the rule of law and equality.
In a
letter to the Pakistan government,
the Human Rights Watch demanded that Pakistan must do the
following, and I quote, to:
‘take
concrete steps to protect fundamental civil, political, economic, social, and
cultural rights in six key areas. “These are freedom of expression
and attacks on civil society; freedom of religion and belief; violence against
women and girls; access to education; restoring moratorium on death penalty;
and terrorism and counterterrorism abuses”.1 Unquote
Mr
Chairman
Mr Khurram Husain, a Pakistani writer and political and
economist analyst, in his article published in a famous English daily ‘Dawn’
wrote and I quote:
‘our state has come to
be virtually held hostage by a reality that we have been denying in almost
every forum around the world. This reality is that within Pakistan, as a matter
of official policy, violent militant groups have been nurtured, trained,
supported and nestled within the general population for use as assets in an
underground geopolitical game that we have tried to play in the region’. Unquote 2
The learned writer
further says:
‘We have been lying to
ourselves and our allies about the nature of our involvement in this war all
along. If Abbottabad didn’t establish this, surely the death of Mullah Mansour
on Pakistani soil, with Pakistani credentials in his pocket, did’. Unquote 3
Mr Chairman, when
these violent militant groups are supported and protected by the state organs,
then it is tantamount to giving them a licence to intimidate, harass and even
kill people who they perceive as unpatriotic and threat to their agenda.
This is the situation of human rights
in Pakistan as explained by a Pakistani writer. Just imagine how it would be in
Gilgit Baltistan and so called Azad Kashmir, where civil society organisations
are virtually non-existent; and there are no one to monitor human rights
abuses, as all are on a duty to cry out about human rights abuses taking place
inside Kashmir Valley.
Pakistan has generously violated State
Subject Laws which provide protection to all citizens of former Princely State
of Jammu and Kashmir, and have settled tens of thousands of Pakistanis in
Gilgit Baltistan. With help of the establishment, these Pakistanis control all
aspects of life in Gilgit Baltistan.
Now they have turned their attention to
so called Azad Kashmir. Reports emanating from reliable sources in Pakistani
Administered Jammu and Kashmir reveal that large chunks of highly valuable land
have been allotted to jihadi outfits, former secret agency officers and religious
groups of Pakistan. This clearly means more problems for the people of this
region and our fellow citizens across the Line Of Control.
We people have to stand up against this
injustice now, and not when it is too late, like in the case of Neelam Jhelum
project. When this project was on papers, only handful of us spoke against it,
and the vast majority remained quiet. Now that the project is complete, and
people have finally understood the damage it has caused to people of
Muzaffarabad region, they are complaining.
Ask yourself, is it not too late now to
show any reaction? Is it not fact that your leaders let you down? Farooq
Haider, Prime Minister of so called Azad Kashmir, hails from Muzaffarabad, and
he could not even protect rights of his city. How can protect rights of people
living in other towns? He is not in a position to provide clean water to people
of his city.
As a result of Neelam Jhelum Project,
which will only benefit Pakistan, River Neelam is dry, and people of this
region now know what problems they will face.
May be we people of Jammu and Kashmir
expect too much from Pakistan. A Pakistani writer and human rights defender,
Baseer Naveed said, ‘Pakistan is a country that did not provide a right of
expression to even Mr Jinnah. His speech of 11 August 1947, was hidden from the
people because in that speech Mr Jinnah talked about equality of all citizens,
and rights of minorities’. 4
A country that is not prepared to give
fundamental rights to their own people, how can they give rights to people of
Gilgit Baltistan and so called Azad Kashmir, which are practically colonies of
Pakistan.
I hope common sense prevails, and
before it is too late, the Pakistani ruling elite understands what wrong they
are doing; and people of so called Azad Kashmir also learn to speak against the
Pakistani injustice and oppression. END
Reference:
1. Published in Dawn, August 28th,
2018
2. Published in Dawn, September 7th,
2017
3. Ibid
4. Mr Baseer Naveed said this in a seminar held
in the UN Human Rights Council’s session in Geneva on 20 September 2018.
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