Press release

HRCP resolution at Asma Jahangir Convention 2018

Lahore, 9 April. Following the Asma Jahangir Convention held in Lahore on 7–8 April 2018, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has issued the following resolution:

We, the human rights and social activists, laborers, farmers, students, lawyers, writers, academics, journalists and citizens working for the rights of women, minorities and labor, at the Asma Jahangir Convention 2018 in Lahore, resolve the following:

  1. We will continue our struggle until the human values of democracy, federalism and equal citizenship have been implemented across Pakistan.
  2. Under Article 3 of the Constitution of Pakistan, the state is bound to eliminate all forms of exploitation and to provide all citizens with decent employment. We will continue to take all possible legal and social measures to ensure that this Article is enforced.
  3. We will strive to realize the aims of the human rights movement, including the protection of people’s social, economic and cultural rights.
  4. We believe that all human rights movements—be they engaged in the rights of women, labor or religious minorities—need to be deeply integrated and closely aligned with one another. Their collective efforts are a prerequisite to realizing the specific goals of each movement. We will continue to work in the spirit of harmony and cooperation and will reinforce mutual partnerships to achieve our objectives.
  5. We denounce all declared and undeclared sanctions on freedom of expression. We will continue to exercise our individual and collective rights without any compromise.
  6. We have expressed our concern over the enforced disappearances of political and social activists and other rights-conscious citizens and will continue our struggle until these inhumane, illegal disappearances cease.
  7. The rights to form associations and unions are fundamental rights, without which a civilized and egalitarian society is not possible. The state is obligated to protect these rights. We remain committed to protecting the right to form associations and to ensuring that laborers, students and professional groups enjoy the right to form unions.
  8. In the face of any suppression by the state,we will not cease our efforts to expand the already shrinking space for civil society organizations in Pakistan. We believe that a thriving state reflects the aspirations of its citizens.
  9. We believe that economic and material development means the development of ordinary citizens. Given that the elite’s material preoccupations have resulted in the deterioration of the environment, we will continue our struggle for an equal, equitable society, and will endorse only those projects that do not affect the environment adversely and do not merely make the rich richer. A mechanism to ensure respect for human rights must be established in all areas, including FATA and Gilgit-Baltistan, where the writ of the state is weak.
  10. The struggle to have amended all clauses of the Constitution of Pakistan that are biased in favor of any specific gender or faith, will continue. All citizens of Pakistan are, and shall remain, equal, irrespective of their color, gender or religion. In particular, any discrimination against religious minorities will not be tolerated. The elimination of extremism and intolerance is imperative, given that these are a potential threat to Pakistan’s social fabric.
  11. In the current political situation, we reiterate our support for the separation of constitutional powers and functions among all state institutions, and remain committed to the supremacy of Parliament. We will resist any attempt to alter the 18th Amendment.
  12. We will keep a close eye on the upcoming general elections: we warn all elements that any unconstitutional, unlawful and unethical attempts to influence the elections, and any breach of people’s electoral rights, are unacceptable. While we may all have our own political views, we jointly announce our support for a fair, democratic electoral process.

Finally, we commit to following in the footsteps of Asma Jahangir: we will continue to strive toward a progressive, people-friendly state and an equitable, equal society.