LONDON, March 26: The UK Human Rights Report released here on Thursday has advised Pakistan to address issues of poor access to justice, impunity, discrimination and violence against vulnerable groups, including women and minorities.

It has also asked the government to implement as soon as possible legislation regarding rights of children and curb the trends of arbitrary application of Islamic penal and blasphemy legislation, arbitrary application of the death penalty, extra-judicial killings, arbitrary detention and the use of torture, abuse of power by law enforcement officials and enforced disappearances.

It said sectarian and terrorist acts in Pakistan caused by extremists include indiscriminate killing, inadequate justice through impromptu Sharia courts, and the destruction of girls’ schools.

Foreign Secretary David Miliband launched the 11th annual report on human rights at an event attended by an audience of NGOs, academics and journalists.

The Pakistan chapter of the report said that as a member of the UN Human Rights Council since 2006, Pakistan had expressed a desire to improve its human rights record but, until recently, had made little progress.

According to the report, the government of Pakistan faces a difficult security situation in the Federally Administered Tribal Area (Fata) bordering Afghanistan.

It said Britain shared Pakistan’s concern about the security situation in this region, which poses a serious threat to Pakistan itself, as well as to UK and Nato International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) interests in Afghanistan.

Britain supported the government of Pakistan’s multi-pronged policy, combining security measures with political reform and economic development.

However, the report urged that all military action and security measures were part of a comprehensive approach to tackling the threat from violent terrorism and that it occurred within the parameters of international human rights standards. “In the Fata there has been concern that legislation has been used arbitrarily by Pakistan’s intelligence agencies to detain suspects in security and counter-terrorism cases,” said the report.

Recalling that a cabinet committee had made a series of recommendations aimed at reforming governance in the Fata, the report said if these recommendations were implemented, they would bring increased transparency by introducing a right of appeal against decisions by authorities, and revising collective punishment provisions to make them more specific to individuals.
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