ISLAMABAD: The Senate’s Functional Committee on Human Rights on Tuesday rejected a report submitted by Sindh Rangers regarding the human rights violations in Karachi Operation, declaring it “fake and phony”.
In the report, prepared by a relatively unknown human rights organisation called “Human Rights Commission on South Asia”, Sindh Rangers were given a clean chit.
Sindh Rangers, while referring to the report, claimed that no human rights violations were done by the paramilitary force during ongoing Karachi Operation.
“I have tried to find out the whereabouts of the said organisation, however, it has no office in Pakistan,” Senator Farhatullah Babar said during the senate panel meeting.
Sindh Rangers has obtained a false report by a dubious NGO in a bid to convince the parliamentary body that “it [Rangers] is not involved in human rights violations while conducting operation in Karachi”, asserted Babar.
Babar said that the name of renowned Pakistani journalist Rahimullah Yousafzai was mentioned on the organisation’s website, however, “he [Yousafzai] denied having any links with the said human rights body”.
“The website is being run by a person from Hong Kong, while the only contact number mentioned on the website is of London,” Babar said, adding that the organisation has no physical presence in Pakistan.
The PPP senator further alleged that Sindh Rangers has tried to dodge the committee. “This move by Sindh Rangers has not only damaged its own credibility but also of Pakistan Army,” he maintained.
The members of the Senate committee called for holding an inquiry into the matter of “submission of a false report by Sindh Rangers”. The lawmakers also demanded that report regarding human rights violations should be summoned from a credible organisation.
Chairperson of the human rights committee Senator Nasreen Jalil, while terming it a crucial matter, said that she will initiate appropriate action in this regard.
Amending implementation of blasphemy law
The Senate panel also advised the government to amend the procedure of implementing blasphemy law in the cases of blasphemy. “We are concerned over the misuse of blasphemy law in the country,” Nasreen Jalil remarked.
She further said that the processing procedure for the cases which fall under blasphemy law needs to be amended in order to avoid misuse of the said law.
Nasreen Jalil was of the view that “people misuse the law to take revenge from their foes and escape punishment”.
National Commission on Human Rights (NCHR) Chairman Ali Nawaz Chohan, in his suggestions, said investigations in blasphemy cases should not be conducted by police officers below the rank of Superintendent of Police (SP).
Chohan suggested that cases under the law must be heard by the District and Session judges. He also recommended making blasphemy a bailable offence until the guilt is proved.
