Death penalty is not the answer on April 29, 2018In the wake of nationwide outrage over rape of a minor girl ‘Asifa Bano’ in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, the Indian government were to promulgate under immense pressure an ordinance declaring the death penalty to child rapists of under 12-year-old-girls. The incumbent government of India has actually promulgated it days ago — wherein […]
Protecting the right to information on April 18, 2018In the wake of the 18th amendment, the Article 19-A was inserted in the Constitution of Pakistan, 1973 for the promotion of transparency leading to eradication of corruption at levels of the country. Following the amendment, the provincial supplementary legislation was passed firstly by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), followed by Punjab. Last year, Sindh did it […]
Trump’s views on the death penalty on March 27, 2018US President Donald Trump has floated another controversial statement, this time concerning the death penalty for drugs smugglers in the US. This statement of President Trump sparked a debate across the world, especially countries where the death penalty is in practice. Pakistan is one of these countries, and it is not out of place to […]
Stop extrajudicial murders in the name of law and order on January 24, 2018The recent wave of extrajudicial murders and forced disappearances has reached its zenith across Pakistan. The recent extrajudicial killing of Naqeebullah Mehsud in Karachi has upset rights groups across Pakistan. The Joint Investigation Team (JIT), formed to probe into the incident following the suo moto notice by the Supreme Court of Pakistan, revealed in its […]
Police brutality needs to end on December 26, 2017Custodial deaths (deaths of alleged criminals while in the custody of police) are common and have long been a concern for human rights groups in Pakistan. Custodial deaths due to torture or deliberate shooting have increased in Pakistan in the last 40 years. The practice of police across Pakistan killing alleged criminals during encounters is […]
The curious case of a death row convict on November 19, 2017There is no doubt that the death penalty is barbaric and a medieval era punishment which is carried out in most parts of the world through different methods. In Pakistan in the wake of Peshawar massacre the death penalty was reinstated in order to combat terrorism. The incumbent government in consultation with all stakeholders decided […]
Right to Information, sham or reality? on October 31, 2017Prior to the introduction of the 18th amendment in the 1973 Constitution, a legislation called the Freedom of Information Ordinance 2000 was passed. This was promulgated during Pervez Musharaf’s tenure. In recent times the mentioned Federal legislation has been replaced by the Access to Right to Information Act 2017. The 2017 Act is specifically for […]
Pakistan and the UN Human Rights Council on October 24, 2017Having recently has been elected a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), and with its Universal Periodic Review coming up, Pakistan has decided to review the scope of the death penalty and considered reducing the number of capital offences. At present there are 27 offences that are punishable by death. Among these […]
Die in peace on October 10, 2017The Supreme Court of India a couple of months ago observed that an alternative to the death sentence shall be introduced in India. The reasonable alternative is life imprisonment. An interesting observation emerged a week ago in which the apex court in India noted that death convicts must die in peace, not in pain. These […]
Die in peace on October 10, 2017The Supreme Court of India a couple of months ago observed that an alternative to the death sentence shall be introduced in India. The reasonable alternative is life imprisonment. An interesting observation emerged a week ago in which the apex court in India noted that death convicts must die in peace, not in pain. These […]