ISLAMABAD: Chairman of the National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) retired Justice Ali Nawaz Chowhan warned the federal and provincial government departments on Wednesday not to hinder the implementation of the international treaties on human rights that Pakistan has signed.

His warning came in the background of criticism at home and abroad of the government’s treatment of human rights issues at a discussion on the role of NCHR in protecting those rights in Pakistan. Particularly, the European Union was unhappy over the government lifting the moratorium on execution of death row convicts, raising fears it might reconsider the GSP Plus export incentive it had granted to Pakistan.

“We have signed 27 conventions that await implementation and seven of them relate to human rights,” said the retired judge. Human rights are the basic principles of Islam but are still denied in the country.

Those who consider the HR issues an international agenda must understand that those working for improved standards of human rights, which include the rights of women, children, labour and other groups, were not the enemies of the state, he added.

“The basic principle of all religions is granting rights to all segments of the society, bringing social justice,” he said.

“It needs to be understood that if there are rights but are not implemented then it means there are no rights.”

“We are faithful to the state but we are opposed to rouge elements that are bent upon dismantling the pillars of the state,” he said.

“The rights issue was the basis of the establishment of Pakistan. Our founding father Muhammad Ali Jinnah felt that the rights of Muslims would not be protected under the system that existed in united India.”

Wednesday’s session was organised by the Democracy Reporting International (DRI). EU’s GSP Plus status for Pakistan is linked to human rights standards in the country.

Stefano Gatto, acting head of the EU delegation in Pakistan, told the session that though aimed at improving the economic conditions of the country, “it is considered the GSP import concession will eventually help improve the availability of rights to the general public”.

“The EU has had concerns over lifting of moratorium on death penalty but there is an argument that it was needed in wake of ongoing war on terror,” he added.

At the same time he pointed out that many countries in Europe fought lengthy wars against terror but authorities remained within the ambit of law.

“Here in Pakistan the main concerns over death penalty are issues related to fairness of the trial, following of basic principles as age of the accused and access to justice system etc,” the EU representative said.

He recalled that the EU has always stressed that Pakistan needed to improve its track record in this regard.

Retired Justice Majida Rizvi, who is the first chairperson of Sindh Human Rights Commission (SHRC), lamented that like the National Commission on Status of Women, the SHRC has been rendered toothless.

“We have been given only two unskilled lower staff and the secretary of SHRC is an employee of the provincial government who has never showed up at the SHRC office,” she said.

“But this has not stopped me from exercising my powers and several cases related to jail inmates have been taken up,” she said.

Orphan girls are found in prisons on charges fabricated by relatives to gain their property, while many prisoners were suffering from hepatitis because of seedy conditions in the prisons.

“The SHRC is weak and the government has not given any salary or facilities to me for one and a half year,” she said.

“But we are strong and together with the civil society the SHRC has grown and will continue to fight for human rights in the province,” she said.

Other speakers demanded that the remaining provinces too should establish human rights commission as most of the HR related functions have been devolved after the 18th Amendment.

Published in Dawn, July 2nd, 2015

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