ISLAMABAD, Dec 10: PML-N Quaid Nawaz Sharif has said respect for human rights is universally recognized by all civilized cultures, societies, communities and religions. In his message to the organizers of a conference on human rights on Saturday, Nawaz Sharif endorsed the conference’s agenda on establishment of a human rights commission in Pakistan.

He suggested that the proposed commission should be an independent body striving impartially to ensure fundamental political and religious rights and freedom, rule of law, democracy, rights of the disadvantaged and socio-economic rights of the people.

The most effective measure in that direction would be restoration of the country’s consensus constitution, he added.

The PML-N leader said Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz had always upheld the principles enshrined in the universal declaration on human rights both nationally and internationally.

He said: “It is one of the central pillars of Islam, and underpin the highest moral and spiritual values of our faith.

“It is through genuine respect for the plurality of beliefs, religions, traditions, value systems and modes of thinking that the international community can inculcate and foster the realization of the essence of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights.”

Mr Sharif recalled that his government in 1998 had set up human rights advisory councils in each district headed by a district session judge with prominent social workers, lawyers and journalists as members.

The councils were meant to check all types of human rights violations in the country and to provide all possible assistance to the citizens without any prejudice or affiliation.

He said unfortunately, these bodies ceased functioning after the democratically elected government was forcibly replaced in 1999 with military rule, which in itself and continues to be a grave violation of the people’s fundamental right to be governed through their freely elected representatives.