ISLAMABAD, March 12: Calling on India and Pakistan to withdraw troops from the border, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR) indicated the formation of an independent commission in Geneva to assess allegations of human right violations from both sides.
Speaking at a news conference here on Tuesday, commissioner Ms Mary Robinson urged Islamabad and New Delhi to find a political way for addressing the allegations and counter allegations of grave human rights violations in the occupied Kashmir.
She vowed to seek a way to look at the possible strategy of dealing with the complex human rights situation.
It was necessary to look at mechanisms that could draw more attention to the human rights in a sensitive military and political situation, she said and added that the matter might be examined in Geneva by international human right experts to make an independent assessment.
she also said, immediate steps should be taken by both sides for de-escalating the tense situation on the border.
Referring to her meeting with members of the Kashmir Committee earlier in the day, Ms Robinson said statistical material and accounts of some of the victims of violence in Kashmir would help her make an assessment of the state of human rights in the occupied valley.
She said during her visit to Delhi in November 2001, similar accounts of human right violations were told by the Indians.
About her meeting with the Pakistani officials, Ms Robinson said the Chief Justice of Pakistan and the federal ministers for interior, women development and law, justice and human rights gave an assurance of examining the question of honour killings.
Answering a question about the Hudood Ordinance requiring four witnesses in a rape case, she said there must be a non-discriminatory law and broad scale training was required to apply the particular ordinance.
The UN official said, though Pakistan had ratified three of the six human rights conventions, it would be important to sign and ratify the remaining conventions on political and cultural rights and torture.
The UNHCHR was ready to provide technical help and training to police and judicial officers about the international human right norms for addressing the problems of police torture, she said.
In reply to a question about minority rights, especially the Christians, she said it was important in this context to emphasise the situation required more attention from the government.
Ms Robinson said she had raised the issue of ban on holding of political rallies, during meeting with the Interior Minister Moinuddin Haider. It was necessary to remove the ban to restore confidence in political dialogue, she said.
Answering a query about the Pakistanis in Afghanistan’s prisons, she observed that some of the prisoners were in bad condition. UN special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, Mr Kamal Hossain, would be submitting a report to the UN on the situation of those detained, she added.
