KARACHI: Several hundred civil society members gathered at a conference organised by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) and called upon the state to protect and uphold the right to freedom, justice and equality for all.

The event was held on Sunday to mark International Human Rights Day.

HRCP Council member Sadia Baloch opened the conference, said a press release issued here on Monday.

Lawyer Akhtar Hussain underscored the importance of the right to health, education and shelter, while poet Waheed Noor recited verses on the theme of political resistance and human rights.

Women’s rights activist Anis Haroon condemned enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings, which she said had weakened the civil rights movement.

HRCP Council member and journalist Sohail Sangi emphasised the need to protect fundamental freedoms and restore student unions.

Climate justice activist Yasir Hussain pointed to record-high levels of pollution, adding that environmental rights were integral to human rights. Senior journalist and academic Prof Dr Tauseef Ahmed Khan pointed out that threats to freedom of expression in the present climate had resulted in self-censorship.

Concluding the conference, HRCP chair Asad Iqbal Butt advocated democratic reforms to allow effective representation in legislatures, not just those of elite interests.

HRCP’s vice-chair for Sindh, Qazi Khizar Habib added that the state must prioritise economic and social justice.

Labour rights activist Nasir Mansoor, HRCP Council member Mahnaz Rahman, rights activist Surath Lohar from Sindh’s Voice for Missing Persons, Lala Wahab from the Baloch Yakjehti Committee, Defence of Human Rights activist Aishah Masood, activist Sarang Joyo and psychologist Dr Syed Ali Wasif also spoke.

Published in Dawn, December 12th, 2023