Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri
GENEVA: Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri, chairperson of the Standing Committee on Human Rights of the Senate of Pakistan, is currently in Geneva along with her delegation. The Pakistani delegation presented their joint reports on the implementation of ICRED in the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination to the United Nations Committee CRED in Geneva on August 9. The delegation of Pakistan is headed by the chairperson of the Standing Committee on Human Rights, Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri, while the delegation includes Senator Khalil Tahir Sindhu and the Secretary of the Ministry of Human Rights, Mr. Allah Dino Khawaja, while the Ambassador of Pakistan, Zaman Mehdi, and the Deputy Permanent Representative are also present. In the report, said that Pakistan as one of the initial state parties of ICERD expressed its commitment to eliminate discrimination on the basis of colour, race or nationality. Senator Samina Mumtaz Zahri presented the report and said that in Pakistan, minorities have equal rights and laws are equal for all citizens in Pakistan while all have constitutional rights too.
Senator Samina Mumtaz Zahri said in the review report that Pakistan has made significant progress since the last review in 2016. This includes strengthening legislative, regulatory, policy, and administrative frameworks to protect and promote human rights while combating all forms of racial discrimination. In addition, the review included constructive exchanges on decisions of high courts, digital census data, and implementation of obligations under ICERD. Values its active involvement with all UN human rights institutions and mechanisms. Minority laws such as the Hindu Marriage Act 2016. Members of religious minorities benefit from the government’s social welfare schemes such as the Benazir Income Support Group Programme, the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony has allocated Rs 105 million for the Minority Welfare Fund for this year. Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri while addressing the honorable members of the committee said that along with her previous recommendations, the issue of Afghan refugees in Pakistan was also included in the list of topics of this review. I emphasize that no country can match the generosity with which Pakistan has hosted four million Afghan citizens with full honor and dignity for four decades. She said hosting such a large refugee population requires international cooperation, burden and responsibility sharing. We will continue to seek international partnership in this regard. She also said that the recent visit of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Mr. Philippe Grandet in July 2024 is proof of our commitment to work together with the international community to advance this common goal. Along with this, Pakistan is also facing security and economic challenges. The government’s plan to repatriate illegal aliens is consistent with international law and practice and an exercise of Pakistan’s sovereign right to regulate its borders.
Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri said that while addressing the distinguished experts, she added that combating discrimination and protecting human dignity is our goal in implementing our obligations under the Convention. In this regard, I will briefly express some thoughts. In our legal framework, there are clear constitutional and penal provisions for discrimination and the criminal offense of promoting it is strictly prohibited. The term discrimination is adequately covered and defined within the legal and administrative framework within our country. It is understood. Chapter -I of the Constitution of Pakistan provides the framework to protect the fundamental rights of all its citizens without any discrimination. Several articles of the Constitution, including Articles 9, 27, and 25, incorporate these protections. She said domestic laws, such as the Pakistan Penal Code, which is based on English common law, prescribe penalties against those found guilty of discrimination. The Supreme Court of Pakistan has also referred to the provisions of ICERD in several high profile judgments. Since our last review by the Hon’ble Committee in 2016, protection of minority rights, upholding independence of judiciary, training awareness campaign for law enforcement officers, enacts free legal aid for vulnerable groups. several steps have been taken. I want to highlight some important aspects in this regard. Some of the laws enacted by the federal and provincial assemblies during the reporting period include the Hindu Marriage Act, 2017, the Enforcement of Women’s Property Rights Act, 2020, the Protection of Journalists and Media Professionals Act, 2021, and the Transgender Persons Protection Act, 2018. ICT Rights of Person and Dealing with Disability Act 2020, and Anti-Rape Investigation and Trial Act 2021, among others. In 2020, the government updated the existing National Action Plan for Human Rights to make it more comprehensive and address any previous gaps. Launched an awareness program to sensitize and sensitize the public and officials about international human rights commitments and our initiatives.
In addition to existing treaty implementation cells at the federal and provincial levels, the government has launched a national mechanism for reporting and follow-up projects based on UN guidelines and best practices. As part of our efforts to develop data-driven policy interventions and strengthen the implementation framework, a human rights management and information system was established at the federal and provincial levels in 2021 to monitor human rights indicators. Data can be collected. The government has taken extensive measures to promote inter-faith harmony and peaceful coexistence in the country. Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Human Rights of the Senate of Pakistan, Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri, while presenting the report, said in her speech that Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority has also issued an advisory to all TV cable operators and media houses to be vigilant and immediately report any content that aims to incite religious discrimination, violence. Interfaith Harmony Committees have been established at the district level to monitor the condition of religious places and promote peaceful co-existence through the involvement of religious leaders. As part of these efforts, Pakistan proudly inaugurated Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartapur in 2019, considered the largest Sikh Gurdwara in the world. In the same year, Pakistan reopened a 1,000-year-old Hindu temple in Sialkot, which had been closed for 70 years.
The head of the Pakistani delegation, Senator Chairperson Standing Committee on Human Rights, added in report that as home to several ancient and sacred Buddhist sites, Pakistan continues to welcome Buddhist religious pilgrims. Distinguished experts of the Committee, Pakistan’s involvement with the international machinery of human rights reflects our commitment to strengthen the international normative framework on racial discrimination. Pakistan actively participated in the Durban Review Conference held in 2001 and 2009 respectively. Since then we have considered and actively participated in all mechanisms. In addition, we have co-sponsored resolutions in the General Assembly and the Human Rights Council regarding global efforts to combat racism. Addressing the Honorable Members, she said that our Pakistani delegation actively participates and values the work of the Ad Hoc Committee on defining complementary standards while negotiating the Additional Protocol to ICERD. She said that like all other nations, global, geopolitical and economic trends also affect Pakistan and its society. Conflicts in the Middle East, food and energy inflation, increasing demands for public health services, misinformation and advocacy of hate affect all aspects of Pakistani society. We believe that advancing human rights is not a one-off exercise, but a long-term commitment and includes ongoing institutional legal reform and policy reform. We recognize the human rights challenges and the magnitude of the work that remains. This open admission is part of our democratic ethos and our interaction with the honorable committee is part of a long journey. This has helped us move forward and I have presented several areas of progress. In the end, the head of the delegation, In the last, Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri, introduced her delegation and said that we are looking forward to a rich discussion today and I am sure that will enable us to continue to grow.