NEW YORK, Nov 17: A recent attack by police on a camp of earthquake survivors highlights why international donors must insist on human rights protection in Azad Kashmir, Human Rights Watch said on Wednesday.

Police used canes and rifle butts to break up a march on November 11 by approximately 200 earthquake survivors protesting eviction from their makeshift camp in Muzaffarabad. Though the police denied attempting to forcibly evict the earthquake survivors, witnesses told Human Rights Watch that police arrived early last Friday at the Jalalabad Garden camp and told the quake victims to leave by sunset.

Several protesters, including children, were injured as a result of police efforts to break up the demonstration. The authorities subsequently backtracked and only a few refugees have moved from the camp, which is still functional.

“The challenges of responding to the earthquake do not give the Pakistani police licence to attack quake victims,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch.

In recent weeks, the Pakistani military authorities have also discouraged negative media coverage of Pakistan’s response to the earthquake.

On Monday, Pakistan’s government-run electronic media regulatory authority, Pemra, stopped three local partners of the BBC from broadcasting two daily 30-minute ‘earthquake specials’ produced by the BBC’s Urdu service.

Pemra officials, accompanied by dozens of armed policemen, seized equipment from one of the local partner’s Karachi offices and ordered two satellite television partners to stop running news content from the BBC.

“Now is the time for more information about the relief effort, not less,” said Mr Adams. “Donors should make it clear to the Pakistani government that attempts to muzzle reporting on relief efforts are unacceptable.”

Human Rights Watch called on the international community to ensure that there is greater civilian oversight of relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts. Aid should be handled through a process that involves the Azad Kashmir government, political parties as well as local, national and international non-governmental organizations, and civil society groups, particularly those working in the field.

In addition, Human Rights Watch called for independent auditing of relief funds and materials to ensure transparency and accountability. Contracts for reconstruction should be handled through proper procurement procedures that allow bidding by private agencies, and not just military entities.

“Given its record of abuse and corruption, the Pakistani military should not be given carte blanche in the relief efforts,” said Mr Adams. “To keep the process honest, civil society must be given a significant role both in delivery and oversight.”

Human Rights Watch urged donors to be as generous as possible in order to avert a humanitarian catastrophe as winter approaches in the mountainous regions of northern Pakistan and Azad Kashmir.