July 01, 2008	Tuesday	Jamadi-us-Sani 26, 1429

ISLAMABAD, June 30: Execu-tive director of the Human Rights Watch Ken Roth started three-day visit on Monday.

He will remain here until July 2 and plans to meet Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, senior government officials, and other stakeholders and discuss measures for embedding human rights in counter-terrorism operations, reinstating the deposed judges, restoring the country’s constitution, and holding individuals responsible for rights abuses during periods of unconstitutional rule.

In his meeting with the US ambassador, Anne W. Patterson, Mr Roth expressed concern over the US role in Pakistan and criticised the US government for “lacking commitment in stren-gthening democracy in its ally on war on terror”.

The HRW executive director reportedly asked the US ambassador to communicate to Washington his organisation’s stance regarding President Musharraf.

“Our view is that President Musharraf is illegally occupying the presidency and he must be held accountable for human rights abuses,” Ali Dayan Hasan, a researcher at the HRW, told Dawn.

Earlier, Mr Roth called on the deposed chief justice, Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, and renewed his organisation’s support for immediate restoration of the pre-Nov 3 judiciary.