{"id":5469,"date":"2020-02-11T19:28:52","date_gmt":"2020-02-11T19:28:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hrcp-web.org\/hrcpweb\/?p=5469"},"modified":"2021-09-30T19:29:38","modified_gmt":"2021-09-30T19:29:38","slug":"peoples-economic-rights-must-not-be-compromised","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hrcp-web.org\/hrcpweb\/peoples-economic-rights-must-not-be-compromised\/","title":{"rendered":"People\u2019s economic rights must not be compromised"},"content":{"rendered":"

People\u2019s economic rights must not be compromised<\/strong><\/p>\n

Islamabad, 11 February 2020<\/em>. Delivering the first Asma Jahangir Memorial Lecture, organised by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), Honorary Spokesperson I. A. Rehman warmly recalled HRCP\u2019s co-founder, remembering her as the \u2018voice of sanity and compassion\u2019.<\/p>\n

Remembering Ms Jahangir\u2019s empathy with the vulnerable and disadvantaged, Mr Rehman spoke about people\u2019s fundamental right to \u2018economic justice\u2019. Citing examples ranging from bonded labourers and small farmers to lady health workers and journalists, he said that people\u2019s economic rights \u2013 the \u2018right to employment, and just and equitable conditions of work\u2019 \u2013 should not be subject to the \u2018availability of resources\u2019.<\/p>\n

While the Constitution protected people\u2019s social and economic wellbeing, said Mr Rehman, it was critical to secure the \u2018substance\u2019 of these rights, their \u2018availability to all citizens\u2019 and their \u2018incremental expansion\u2019. The Prime Minister, he added, had recently said that nothing was more important than providing succour to the poor: economic justice must not, therefore, be sacrificed at the altar of national security, said Mr Rehman. He reminded the audience that \u2018all citizens of Pakistan\u2019 had the right to economic justice, and that Asma Jahangir would not have stood quietly by in such a situation. It falls to all of us, he said, to band together and demand that these rights \u2013 and all other fundamental rights \u2013 be protected and promoted.<\/p>\n

HRCP Secretary-General Harris Khalique announced that the Commission was instituting the Asma Jahangir Award for Human Rights Defenders, and resuming the Nisar Osmani Award for Courage in Journalism and the I. A. Rehman Research Grant in Human Rights.<\/p>\n

The lecture, which was followed by a question-and-answer session, was heavily attended, with HRCP members, civil society activists, lawyers, journalists and political workers among the audience.<\/p>\n

On behalf of Dr Mehdi Hasan<\/p>\n

Chairperson<\/p>\n

Note: A video recording of the lecture is available here<\/em>:\u00a0Asma Jahangir memorial lecture_I A Rehman<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>