KARACHI: Members of civil society and human rights activists launched Civic Charter at a press conference at the Karachi Press Club on Monday.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Riaz Shaikh, head of social sciences Szabist, said the charter was a global framework for people’s participation. He said after the United Nations was formed, a charter of rights was put in place which every country had to follow. But, he said, for the last few years it had been observed that in many countries laws were being made against certain basic human rights on the basis of ridiculous arguments. He said there were certain basic rights — freedom of expression, freedom of information, freedom of assembly and freedom of association — that were being targeted.

Dr Shaikh said it was the state’s duty to provide security to its citizens, take care of their financial needs and give them equal opportunities. He said of late efforts were being made to put restrictions on NGOs, and even the common’s man right of expression was being challenged. Keeping that in mind, he said, global organisations thought that they should gather global societies at one place and see what these organisations were doing. He said in that regard work began in 2016 and organisations such as Amnesty International came forward to keep an eye on countries where basic rights were in danger and today (Oct 17) a civic charter was being launched all over the world. He said situations were being developed where people were being punished without committing any crime. He said freedom of the press was also being challenged. He said in the last three years many countries had come up with legislations to put curbs on freedoms of expression and information, for example, cybercrime laws.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan’s Asad Butt said the commission fully agreed with the charter.

Highlighting the need for coming up with the charter, he said states became signatories to UN charters but they had no intention to implement them.

Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum chairman Mohammad Ali Shah said wrong policies of the MNCs were affecting the lives of fishermen and peasants, and when the latter raised their voice against them, laws were made to stop them from doing so. He said such laws affected ‘social movement’.

Joint director of the Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (Piler) Zulfiqar Shah said the charter would go online on Oct 17 for signing and endorsements. He said once it got online, it was expected that many people would endorse it. He said four rights were in danger — freedom of expression, information, assembly and association.

He said democratic space was shrinking in Pakistan. He said he would like everybody to sign the charter — civil society members, journalists, lawyers, showbiz personalities — so that things could be taken forward.

Published in Dawn October 18th, 2016