KARACHI: The National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) in collaboration with European Union-funded Huqooq-e-Pakistan (HeP) project organised a media consultation at a local hotel on Wednesday.

It was explained that following the launch of a country-wide consultative process for the commission’s four-year strategic plan, two consecutive sessions were held with civil society representatives and media, where participants shared a broad range of opinions to devise a pragmatic strategic plan for the NCHR.

The commission plans to hold similar sessions in other provincial capitals to gather information and recommendations from all parts of the country.

In the opening note, NCHR chairperson Rabiya Javeri Agha said the opinions and recommendations coming out from these consultations would be taken into account while preparing the commission’s strategic plan and for determining their next steps.

“One of the main functions of the commission is to inform the government about the problems faced by the people and civil society in the reports. The commission and government together can then be like an ecosystem of human rights,” she said, adding that the commission had a judicial role to play.

“Looking at its records of issues resolution, the commission also works as an advisory. For instance, if there is a new law in the making, we can advise lawmakers on it. Our mandate is to get information from the grassroots level and take it to government,” she said.

Coming to the current consultation with the media, she said that the media is very important. “The media shapes opinion. It plays a crucial role in the protection and promotion of human rights. The media can be our support and we can be media’s support. The media needs to be strong because it has a paramount role of bringing people back on track. That is its moral and ethical responsibility. It informs, educates and sensitises the general public as well as policymakers, civil society and those implementing the laws and policies. Besides that, it connects people with the government and other stakeholders. So we want to talk to the media too to learn about its issues,” she said.

Published in Dawn, December 24th, 2021