Daily Times

LAHORE: The State of Human Rights in 2015, an annual report by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) issued on Friday, pointed out that provinces continued to use expanded legislative authority under the 18th Constitutional Amendment to enact several important laws, but implementation mechanism lagged behind.

The report stated that the parliament made 20 laws, while the president promulgated 12 ordinances during the last year. On the other hand, the provincial legislatures adopted 120 laws with highest legislative output (40) by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, followed by Sindh (32), Punjab (31) and Balochistan (17). Important legislation included Sindh Commission on the Status of Women Act, Balochistan Prevention and Control of Thalassaemia Act, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Prohibition of Employment of Children Act. Sindh and Punjab adopted laws with regard to employment of physically challenged citizens.

Military courts’ jurisdiction: The legislation was also adopted to set up eight universities across Pakistan while laws were enacted to regulate the conduct of local government elections in all the provinces, in the federal capital and in cantonments. The 21st Constitutional Amendment and corresponding amendments to the Army Act 1952 gave military courts jurisdiction to try all persons, including civilians and juveniles, in offences related to terrorism under military tribunals.

Last year, 324 people, most with no links to terrorism, being put to death by the state. Another 8,000 prisoners stayed on death row. The report said there was significant positive change in application and opinion of the judiciary, in cases of blasphemy law. “Dispensation of justice remained protracted with 2,700 cases pending before the Supreme Court and 60,000 each in Lahore and Sindh high courts, and 9,000 cases in Balochistan and 28,487 in Peshawar high court,” it said.

The report revealed a 40 percent decrease in violence as compared to 2014. In 2015, 4,612 people died in violence as compared to 7,622 violence-related deaths last year. Anti-state violence dropped below 2008 levels: 706 militant attacks took place, in which 1,325 people including 619 civilians, 348 security forces personnel, 325 militants and 33 pro-government razakars were killed. HRCP noted killing of 2,108 men and seven women through police encounters across Pakistan.

Death because of faith: Punjab reported 382,932 cases of crime in 2015, 6,622 less than 389,554 cases in 2014. Sindh saw a 42 percent reduction in the number of murders in 2015 as compared to 2014. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan witnessed 10 and one percent surge respectively in total crime in 2015 as compared to 2014. The report also stated that five doctors and three lawyers were killed because of their faith. In 2015, 419 persons were awarded the death penalty while 327 death penalty convicts were hanged, making Pakistan one of the highest executing states in the world.

About 1,390 cases of enforced disappearance remained pending with the commission of inquiry. The HRCP data suggested that least 151 cases of disappearances were reported in Balochistan between January and November 2015. Amid reforms, about 65,000 names were removed from the exit control list (ECL) during the last year. In March, some Baloch activists were restricted from travelling to the United States to attend a seminar. Subsequently, Farzana Majeed and Mama Qadeer were removed from the ECL by orders of the Sindh High Court. The report also revealed that attacks on buses and killing and abduction of passengers restricted freedom of movement of certain ethnic and sectarian groups.

Worst passport in the world? The HRCP report said Pakistan’s passport ranked one of the worst in the world to travel with; sharing a place with Somalia as the third worst passport in terms of travel restrictions. As many as 58 incidents of sectarian violence were reported from across Pakistan. “All (incidents) were sectarian-related terrorist attacks,” it said, adding that no sectarian clash was reported during the last year. Hundreds of people lost their lives and many more were injured in faith-based attacks against religious and sectarian minorities. About 22 individuals were booked on the charges of blasphemy, including 15 Muslims, four Christians and three Ahmadis.

The report said that several thousand citizens from religious minority communities were reported to have left the country over the last few years on account of faith-based violence, discrimination and persecution. Killing of four journalists and a media worker with impunity and assaults on many more made Pakistan live with the dubious status of being ‘a dangerous place for journalists.’ PEMRA’s new code of conduct allowed auditing of live content of television channels and restrictions on live broadcasts.

Freedom of expression in cyberspace: The report also said that introduction of Prevention of Electronic Crimes Bill if passed will pose serious threats to freedom of expression in cyberspace. It said that the federal government and the provincial governments of Sindh and Balochistan were yet to democratise their outdated freedom of information laws under Article 19-A. The report also said that the freedom of assembly of religious minority groups was greatly restricted and violated by several attacks on their places of worship and religious assemblies and processions.