LAHORE, Dec 11: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has urged the government to go beyond merely signing treaties and ensure its full participation in cooperation with the United Nations human rights system.

Commenting on the news that Pakistan had formally conveyed to the UN that it was working for an early ratification of three human rights treaties — the International Convent on Civil and Political Rights, the International Convent on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and Convention against Torture — HRCP Chairperson Asma Jehangir said that it must be welcomed to the extent of declarations of the intents. As a member of 47-member UN Human Rights Council for a three-year term starting this year, Pakistan had a responsibility for enforcing and promoting international rights agreements.

She said that declaration of intent regarding the ratification of the three treaties was only a first step and it was hoped that the decision would lead to a revision of the policy of ignoring international agreements and redress mechanisms and UN special rapporteurs and they would now be fully invited. The commission reiterated its stance that the government must go beyond merely signing the treaties. It was more necessary than anything else to ensure that they were fully implemented.

The HRCP chairperson said that signing and ratification of the international covenants and conventions on torture, including the optional protocols attached to them, must be done sooner than later and the task of making adjustments in domestic legislation taken up simultaneously. This was crucial to the growing sense of frustration and despair felt across the country by citizens and resolve the growing human rights issues currently being confronted by them.