{"id":5524,"date":"2019-10-06T19:56:18","date_gmt":"2019-10-06T19:56:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hrcp-web.org\/hrcpweb\/?p=5524"},"modified":"2021-09-30T19:57:03","modified_gmt":"2021-09-30T19:57:03","slug":"role-of-parliament-must-not-diminish","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hrcp-web.org\/hrcpweb\/role-of-parliament-must-not-diminish\/","title":{"rendered":"Role of Parliament must not diminish"},"content":{"rendered":"

Role of Parliament must not diminish<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lahore<\/em>, 6 October<\/em>. The Council of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has issued the following statement on concluding its biannual meeting:<\/p>\n

\u2018We are seriously concerned by the government\u2019s recent attempts to undermine the political opposition. There are alarming signs that the role of Parliament is receding: this is evident from the government\u2019s attempts to rule by ordinance. The recently promulgated KP\u00a0Actions (in Aid of Civil Power)\u00a0Ordinance\u00a02019 not only curtails certain fundamental rights, but it also runs contrary to democratic principles.<\/p>\n

\u2018The government must take prompt steps to implement the Supreme Court\u2019s 2014 judgment to protect the rights of religious minorities. Our reports show that Pakistan\u2019s religious minorities remain vulnerable to faith-based discrimination and to the misuse of the blasphemy laws.<\/p>\n

\u2018HRCP\u2019s recent fact-finding missions reveal that the practice of enforced disappearances is still being used as a means of coercion by state actors. There is an urgent need for legislation to criminalise enforced disappearances so that perpetrators are held accountable in a systematic and effective way.<\/p>\n

\u2018The surge in recent cases of child abuse points to the increasing brutalisation of society. Children are among the most vulnerable groups, and both the state and society must take responsibility for protecting them.<\/p>\n

\u2018We condemn any measures by the state to curtail freedom of expression or to fragment the media through the introduction of media tribunals.<\/p>\n

\u2018We strongly urge the state to grant Gilgit-Baltistan provincial status and to ensure that its people have access to all the same fundamental rights as other citizens of Pakistan.<\/p>\n

\u2018We are perturbed by the resurgence of religious extremism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the form of the KP government\u2019s distribution of burqas among female students. Such moves are blatant attempts to restrict women\u2019s freedoms and a deliberate attempt to promote Talibanisation.<\/p>\n

\u2018Rather than investing more in healthcare and education, the government appears to be diverting resources away from these sectors. We remind the government that the state has a constitutional duty to provide its citizens with access to education and a moral duty to take all possible steps to provide acceptable levels of healthcare across the country.<\/p>\n

\u2018We are deeply alarmed by the lockdown in Kashmir by the Indian government \u2013 which has produced a human rights crisis \u2013 and the subsequent war rhetoric emanating from both sides of the border. Both India and Pakistan must recognise immediately that the people of Kashmir have the right to self-determination and that both countries have a duty to protect and promote regional peace.<\/p>\n

\u2018We stand in solidarity with the global and national movement to check climate change and urge the state to heed warnings that, if it does not incorporate measures to halt irreversible damage to the environment, it is ultimately depriving future generations of the right to life.\u2019<\/p>\n

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

Chairperson, HRCP<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>