• Members question plans to repatriate foreign nationals
• Pakistan is fully aware of its responsibilities, meeting told

ISLAMABAD: The UN Committee on Elimination of Racial Discrimination has praised Pakistan for the upgraded “A” status of its flagship human rights body.

The remarks were made by Yeung Kam John Yeung Sik Yuen, the country rapporteur for Pakistan, on Friday during a meeting of the UN committee, which concluded its periodic review of the human rights situation in Pakistan.

Mr Yuen said the committee had received a report from the National Commission for Human Rights, informing that earlier this year it had been accredited with an “A” status by the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions.

He congratulated the commission on this success and said its efforts must be commended.

However, he said, blasphemy laws were a matter of concern, adding the committee had received reports of persons belonging to minority groups being falsely accused of blasphemy or killed or physically attacked before trial.

He asked the Pakistani delegation, led by Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, about the number of extrajudicial killings after blasphemy accusations and what measures the government had taken to promptly investigate and prosecute such cases.

The delegation infor­med the committee that to ensure justice in blasphemy cases, the investigation is led by a senior officer of a rank not lower than a superintendent.

All police departments in Pakistan had formulated standard operating procedures for investigation into blasphemy cases so that no innocent people are framed, the delegation added.

Repatriation of Afghan nationals

The co-rapporteur, Pela Boker-Wilson, talked about Pakistan’s plans to repatriate illegal Afghan nationals in three phases.

“What steps had been taken to ensure that the plan contains provisions for individualised assessments of risks of refoulement, including for Afghan women and children who were victims of trafficking or who may have a justifiable fear of persecution upon return?” she asked.

Ms Boker-Wilson also sought clarification about reports that since the government started implementing the plan, an estimated 9,000 to 10,000 Afghan had returned daily.

The Pakistani delegation told the committee that the repatriation plan was not Afghan-specific as it aimed to identify and repatriate illegal foreigners in a phased manner.

In addition to deportations, there were measures to repatriate individuals holding fraudulent documents, which applied to a large number of Afghans, the meeting was told.

Published in Dawn, August 11th, 2024