Sirfraz
Pakistan being a multi cultural, religious and multi lingual country had been facing numerous problems since its independence that exist even today. The country, from the beginning (14 August, 1947) was in an internal war. Hence, Women, transgender people, religious minorities suffered a lot and their fundamental rights were extremely violated on the ground of color, discrimination, gender, cast, race and religion. However, the government prosecution with its authorities failed to provide an adequate protection, peaceful environment and an enforceable constitution that many times suspended in the history by the dictators and generals. On the other side, all the attacks on the houses of worship of minorities accounted in the credit of Islam although Islam strictly prohibits on commission of such actions rather it teaches the lesson of peace, love, kindness, humanity and unity. The state had a very difficult task to hold perpetrators accountable. A great majority of the population, numerous rights were violated, and ignored by administration and its different organs.The cause of human rights violation The root cause of the disturbance of human rights are all due to because of the biography, different languages, religions, cultures, traditions, poverty and the immense populations. Similarly, the basic rights of people throughout the country were violated in all regards. Civil society The civil society was attacked enormously. For instance, the attack on a school killing 140 students including teachers in Lahore that in return, people protested against the government for supporting the “Taliban”. Another attack was done on the police training center in Quetta where 15 police men martyred and now recently 10 miners were killed from the Shia Hazara community in Baluchistan. Freedom of expression Freedom of expression is a universally accepted human right that was defined in the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) under Article 19 which says that everyone has the right to freedom of expression, hold opinion, ideas and seek or receive information. Pakistan being a signatory of ICCPR, including the title of democracy and Islamic republic had violated this right. This right was widely ignored in the past of 72 years. Each government in their reigns curtailed the freedom of media to report in all regards independently. Many journalists, political activists, human rights defenders were targeted. The authorities in Pakistan unfortunately have granted a culture of censorship, coercion, and harassment to the people who adapted it now in fear. According to the Pakistan annual report of 2019, Gualala Ismail, a women for human rights defender who campaigned against the abuses of human rights violence and forced disappearance was charged with sedition, terrorism and defamation. This continued to her family facing intimation by the law enforcement authorities after she fled to USA. The police filed a case on her along with her parents on sedition and cyber-terrorism which caused them to suffer a lot. While the Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered, the journalists in compassion changed their profile pictures, protesting against the Saudi Arabian ruler Muhammad bin Selman’s official visit to the country. The FIA federal investigation agency started an investigation and charged a journalist Shahzeb Jillani with “cyber-terrorism” and spreading hate speech on defamatory comments on social media. Later a court in Karachi curbed the charges of him citing lack of evidence. In April, Shafique Ahmed, a lawyer from Okara, faced charges under PECA (Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act) for spreading false information and uploading defamatory posts against the Agencies of Pakistan. The authorities intensified a crackdown on the Pushtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) that ran a campaign against the human rights abuses. Dozens of people were arrested and arbitrarily detained. They were subjected to threat of violence, intimation and prosecution. In January, PTM activist Alamzaib was imprisoned by police at gunpoint in Karachi and charged with “rioting” and “inciting hatred” for his peaceful participation in the demonstration. Later in September, the Supreme Court granted him bail. Another PTM activist from Baluchistan, Arman Luni was beaten to death by the police following his peaceful protest in district Loralai. Gohar Wazir, a journalist of Khyber News TV station was arrested for interviewing Mohsin Dawar who was a parliamentarian and PTM supporter. In the same month the Mohsin Dawar and Ali Wazir, the parliamentarian and PTM supporters were arrested including, at least thirteen people were killed.In Lahore, two journalists Gul Bukhari and Asad Kharal in the same night were abducted and injured. In November, a case of sedition was filed against the 17 students protesting peacefully against water shortage in Jamsharo, Sindh. Numerous females’ students were tortured and arbitrarily detained by the Quetta police in a peaceful protest against the online classes. Freedom of religion Yearly, dozens of people are convicted death sentence under the blasphemy law. Most of these are killed during the trial. They hardly reach to the final judgment of the court. 17 people were given death penalty under the blasphemy law and hundreds of people were under trial in accordance to a report of 2018. Majority of those facing blasphemy allegations were from the members of religious minorities. However, on the judgment of Supreme Court to the release of Assaia, a 47 years old Christian from Punjab who had been on death row. The judgement made the judges life in danger, they were threaten by the blasphemy law supporters. However, in February, Patras Masih, 18, and Sajid, 24, were charged with blasphemy in Lahore. Masih was badly injured by the police even he tried to suicide jumping from the window. He claimed that was too tortured during the investigation. In May, 2o18, the former interior minister Ahsan Iqbal was shot by an individual affiliated with an anti-blasphemy in district Norwal, Punjab. Two historic Ahmadiyya buildings were attacked and destroyed. The most effect religion was Ahmadiyya that faced the prosecution for blasphemy law. They were declared non-Muslims and posing them Muslims is a criminal offense in according to the penal code. Children rights Five million of children are deprived of school education and 21 percent of the girls got forced marriage under the age of 18 years and as a result many of them suicided while they were forced to merry by their parents selection of their children life partners unfortunately. According to the estimate of activists about 1000 honor killings take place in every year. The media reported that 66 women were murdered in Faisalabad district only in the first six month of 2018 in the name of honor. A report by the Movement for Solidarity and peace in Pakistan claimed that 1000 girls belonging to the Christian and Hindus communities are forced to merry Muslim men in every year. It argued further that 3 percent of the girls merry before 15. Apart from these, the child sexual abuse was a common practice in the country. 141 cases were reported only in district Lahore. At least 77 girls and 79 boys were raped or sexually assaulted in only the duration of six months. In January, 2018, 7 year old Zainab Ansari from Punjab was raped and murdered. ON October 17, Imran Ali was executed for the rape and murder of Zainab and eight other girls. On August 8, a 5 year old girl dead body was found who was raped and murdered in district Mardan, Khyber-Pahktunkhwa .anther six year old girl raped in district Sukkur, Sindh. Thus, according to the organization Sahil, an average of 11 cases of child sexual abuse is daily reported across the country. In 2015, police identified a gang of child sexual abusers in the Kasur district, Punjab. Women rights More than 1000 women became the victim of honor killings in Pakistan. nearly everyone of the women in Pakistan have lack f basic rights. They faced rape, abduction, acid attacks, physical assault, murder and domestic violence. If any of the women is accused for adultery, fornication or an immoral behavior that violates the religious and societal norms, then she will be subject to honor killing. In June, 2019, the chief justice of Supreme Court announced the establishment of 1016 courts to hear the domestic violence cases. But regretfully still, there was an immense estimation of such cases. In same year, 2019, six transwomen were shot among whom for were dead and two were seriously injured. One of them was Maya, nineteen years who was killed by her own father. All of these cases were from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Qandeel baloch’s brother has been given death penalty who killed his sister Qandeel in 2016. He argued that Qandeel had brought dishonor to their family. Terrorism, counter-terrorism, and law enforcement abuses There occurred numerous suicide bombing, arm attacks by the Taliban and different militant organizations surviving the country, targeting the religious minorities, security personnel, and politicians, journalists and human rights defenders, resulting hundreds of deaths. At the time of 2018 election, the Taliban and other militants groups targeted the candidates and bombing the rallies, mob and crowds, killing more than 130 people at the time across the country. Nawabzada Siraj Raisani, a politician and candidate of BAP (Baluchistan Awami Party) was killed in an attack in Mustang, Baluchistan which responsibility was claimed by the Taliban. In the same day, a political leader Akram Khan Durrani of Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) was targeted in Bunnu district, Khyber-Pahktunkhwa where 32 people injured, four died but Akram Khan Durrani himself survived. On 10 July, a senior leader Haroon Bilour of Awami National Party 9ANP) was killed along with 20 others in a suicide attack in Peshawar and the Tehreek Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed the responsibility. On July 25, the day on general election, a suicide bomb targeting a polling station had killed 30 people in Quetta, Baluchistan. The militant group Islamic State (ISIS) claimed the responsibility. In November, ISIS claimed the responsibility of the suicide attack in Orakzai tribal district killing 33 people. On the same day, BLA (Baloch Liberation Army) attacked on the Chinese consulate in Karachi killing four people including two police officers. Death penalty There are more than 8000 prisoners on the death row. Pakistan became one of the world largest populations facing execution. Hence, Pakistani law mandates capital punishment for 28 offenses, including high treason, blasphemy, murder, rape and certain acts of terrorism. These deaths penalty are often from the most marginalized part of the society. However, in April 2018, Supreme Court suspended the death penalty of Imdad Ali and Kaniz Fatima with psychological disabilities. The Supreme Court ordered a bench to examine the issue. Later on it was held that a person with psychological disability cannot be executed. Counterterrorism laws had been misused. During the counterterrorism operation, Pakistan security forces have been seriously responsible for the human rights violations including detention without any charges, torture, forced disappearance, and many more. The defendants are denied to fair trials under military courts. In 2017, 868 new cases of forced disappearance were increased in the previous 2 year of Imran Khan government among whom 555 have been released and 313 people are missing still. At the nut shell, the government and all state institutions are requested to make new policies and commission on all such serious matters to end up the sectarian attacks, enforced disappearances, militants and counterterrorism abuses with the protection of religious minorities, women and children’s rights.
