NEW YORK, Jan 14: Pakistan's military government has tightened its grip on power, and "has acted with increasing impunity to enforce its writ over the state and to protect its grip on Pakistan's economic resources , especially land", a human rights watchdog group said on Thursday.
In its annual report, the New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) noted that Pakistan remains heavily dependent on the United States for economic and military aid and alleged that the United States has notably failed to press for human rights-related legal reform in the country, in exchange for Pakistan's support in the US-led "war on terror".
For its part, the government of Pakistan has excused its failure to uphold human rights and the rule of law by citing domestic political pressure from hard line religious groups and militant organizations, the report said.
The HRW said that during President Musharraf's tenure, Pakistan's military increased its influence over the political and economic life of all Pakistanis. "The starkest example of military impunity came from the brutal repression of a farmers' movement in Okara district of Punjab province, where tens of thousands of tenant farmers have resisted efforts by the military to usurp their legal rights to some of the most fertile farmland in Pakistan."
In Dec 2003, in order to push through controversial constitutional reforms that increased his powers, General Musharraf acceded to widespread demands to step down as army chief as part of the process of returning the country to civilian rule. But in October 2004, he reneged on the pledge made to the country in a televised speech by securing the passage of the "The President to Hold Another Office Act."
Other pressing human rights concerns in the country include a rise in sectarian violence; legal discrimination against and mistreatment of women and religious minorities; arbitrary detention of political opponents; harassment and intimidation of the media; and lack of due process in the conduct of the "war on terror" in collaboration with the United States.
A major military offensive against alleged Taliban and Al Qaeda forces in the South Waziristan area bordering Afghanistan resulted in massive displacement of civilians and scores of deaths, the report said.
WOMEN'S RIGHTS: The HRW observed that violence against women and girls, including domestic violence, rape, "honour killings", acid attacks, and trafficking, are rampant in Pakistan.
The existing legal code discriminates against women and girls and creates major obstacles to seeking redress in cases of violence. Survivors of violence encounter unresponsiveness and hostility at each level of the criminal justice system, from police who fail to register or investigate cases of gender-based violence to judges with little training or commitment to women's equal rights.
"Under Pakistan's existing Hudood Ordinance, proof of rape generally requires the confession of the accused or the testimony of four adult Muslim men who witnessed the assault.
If a woman cannot prove her rape allegation she runs a very high risk of being charged with fornication or adultery, the criminal penalty for which is either a long prison sentence and public whipping, or, though rare, death by stoning. The testimony of women carries half the weight of a man's testimony under this ordinance.
"The government has yet to repeal or reform the Hudood Ordinance, despite repeated calls for its repeal by the government-run National Commission on the Status of Women, as well as women's rights and human rights groups. Informed estimates suggest that over 200,000 cases under the Hudood laws are under process at various levels in Pakistan's legal system," the report said.
The report noted, according to Pakistan's interior ministry, there have been more than 4,000 honour killings in the last six years. Non-governmental groups recorded more than 1,300 honour killings in 2003. Proposed legislation on honour killings drafted in consultation with NGOs and the Human Rights Commission was sidelined in favour of a far weaker bill.