Latest news with #HRCP
Express Tribune
4 days ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Bill to curb child marriage becomes law
President Asif Ali Zardari on Friday signed the Islamabad Capital Territory Child Marriage Restraint Bill into law, setting the minimum age for marriage at 18 years. The new legislation criminalises the solemnisation of marriages where either the boy or girl is underage. HRCP slams CII The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has strongly criticised the CII for raising objections to the recently passed Islamabad Capital Territory Child Marriage Restraint Bill, calling the move a serious attempt to hinder vital child protection legislation. It expressed deep concern over the CII's stance, which challenges the bill that sets 18 years as the minimum legal age for marriage and criminalizes child marriage in the federal capital. "The bill establishes a long-overdue legal standard in Pakistan and aligns with both constitutional guarantees and international human rights commitments," the HRCP stated.
Express Tribune
4 days ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
A tool of suppression
Listen to article Laws are meant to be scrutinised - especially when they begin to encroach upon the very freedoms they are supposed to protect. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan's latest report on the PECA Act 2025 offers a much-needed critical lens on a law that has become a potent tool of suppression rather than protection. PECA, in its current form and through its iterations since 2016, has consistently empowered the state at the expense of individual liberties. Its criminalisation of vague categories such as "fake and false information" — punishable by up to three-year imprisonment — opens the door to arbitrary interpretation and misuse. Instead of combating genuine cybercrime, the law has increasingly been wielded to stifle dissent and as a muzzling tactic. This is not an isolated case. PECA is part of a growing pattern of repressive legal frameworks that aim to curtail civic spaces in Pakistan. Additionally, PECA introduces a regulatory authority, complaints council and tribunal — all operating under considerable executive influence. While oversight is necessary in any legal process, the concentration of power in a few hands raises concerns about fairness and impartiality. Such laws tend to erode the foundations of democracy by criminalising criticism and silencing voices. The HRCP's call for the law's repeal is both timely and necessary. It is a reminder that no law should be above public scrutiny — especially one that so deeply affects the fundamental rights of citizens. Rather than discarding the law altogether, a more balanced approach could involve revisiting and refining PECA. Clearer definitions and better oversight mechanisms would go a long way in aligning the law with its original intent. Constructive reform, grounded in consultation with civil society, may be the best way forward.
Express Tribune
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Mirror to the rulers
Listen to article Each year, the HRCP's report sparks a familiar ritual: civil society erupts in outrage, the state stays mute and the powerful grow defensive. The 2024 report, however, lays bare a fundamental breakdown in how we govern and treat the public, particularly the most vulnerable. It's a blunt diagnosis of a country steadily unlearning democracy, shedding compassion and settling into repression. The findings are impossible to miss, unless one is willfully blind. From sweeping protest curbs to laws that equate criticism with defamation to rising judicial meddling, dissent is being actively crushed. The 26th Amendment — rammed through in majoritarian fashion — and laws like the Public Order Act and the Punjab Defamation Act aren't one-offs. They're part of a pattern. The message is clear: citizens are no longer seen as participants, but only as problems to be managed. Freedom of expression continues to shrink, per the report. The ban on X drags on like an old wound that refuses to heal. Internet blackouts are now routine whenever unrest brews on the streets. Journalists remain in the line of fire — 162 attacks last year alone. And yet, we still hear official lines about 'restoring order' and 'promoting journalism' as if these were neutral moves rather than calculated muzzling. The rot also extends into the judiciary, an institution meant to curb overreach but itself under strain from both within and without. The HRCP sounds the alarm on a crippling 2.4 million-case backlog and damning claims by judges of meddling and intimidation. The idea of an independent judiciary — something we proudly tout — rings hollow in practice. If judges feel intimidated, what hope is there for the everyday Pakistani seeking justice? Violence, too, is surging. Not just from terrorist attacks but also from actions that blur the line between policing and raw force, with nearly 5,000 suspects meeting their end in police encounters across Punjab and Sindh. Justice now happens at the barrel of a gun. Bursting at the seams with lawlessness and impunity, Karachi records over 47,000 crimes while prisons across the country overflow at more than twice their capacity. These are signs of a society fraying and a system buckling under its own weight. But the decay doesn't stop here. The report shows — as if we needed proof — that Pakistan remains profoundly unjust and perilous for women and children. The numbers are staggering: over 400 honour killings, thousands of rapes, rampant violence and cyber harassment, over 26 million out-of-school children and hundreds of cases of child sexual abuse. These aren't aberrations. They're baked into the DNA of a state that abandons its most vulnerable. When cruelty becomes routine and children and women are so easily discarded, it's like a society tossing its future in the trash. But perhaps the most sobering part of the report isn't a single statistic or law — it's the overall picture: a country where political engineering trumps public mandate, where economic pain is normalised, where ecological breakdown goes unchallenged and where religion is twisted to excuse violence. This is democratic decay! Instead of brushing off the report as mere alarmism, those at the helm would do well to pay heed: the HRCP hasn't attacked the rulers; it has simply held up a mirror to them. If they find the reflection ugly, the remedy lies not in smashing the mirror but in righting the wrongs. A dispensation that leans on force over fairness, coercion over consensus and control over care can't expect to build a just and lasting society. Can repression ever be a foundation for stability? Pakistan doesn't need a harder hand. It needs a softer heart and the courage to put human rights at the centre of governance. And if we continue down this path — prioritising control over care and hard power over human dignity — no economic policy, security operation or political slogan will pull us from the brink.
Express Tribune
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
HRCP slams discriminatory ban on Ismaili Butchers in Chitral, warns of threat to pluralism
Listen to article The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has voiced serious concern over what it describes as sectarian discrimination in Chitral, following a decision by the local administration in Garam Chashma to prohibit Ismaili butchers from supplying meat in the area. In a strongly worded statement issued on Thursday, the HRCP condemned the move as a violation of the constitutional principle of equal economic opportunity for all citizens, regardless of sectarian affiliation. The commission noted that the region has long been admired for its tradition of inter-communal harmony and warned that such one-sided measures risk inflaming sectarian tensions and inciting violence. "Undermining fundamental rights due to religious pressure sets a dangerous precedent," the HRCP said. "This threatens not only the livelihoods of a marginalised community but also the very fabric of pluralism in Pakistan." The rights watchdog called on the district administration to fulfill its constitutional duty to treat all citizens equally and to ensure that administrative decisions are based on law and fairness, not appeasement. Any failure to act impartially, the HRCP warned, could deepen existing divisions and further erode public confidence in the rule of law. The statement comes amid growing concern from civil society over increasing intolerance and discriminatory practices targeting religious and sectarian minorities in various parts of the country.
Express Tribune
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
UN Security Council condemns Khuzdar school bus attack
Listen to article The United Nations Security Council has strongly condemned the terrorist attack on a school bus in Khuzdar, Balochistan, which resulted in the tragic deaths of at least seven Pakistanis, including five schoolchildren. At least 52 others, including 38 children, were injured in the attack. In response to the attack, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa police have stepped up security at schools across the province. The Department of Education has been formally alerted, with a directive issued to District Education Officers to enhance safety measures at all educational institutions. In a press statement, the Security Council expressed its deepest condolences to the families of the victims, as well as to the Pakistani government and people. The Council also wished a speedy recovery for those injured. The Council reaffirmed that terrorism in all forms poses a severe threat to international peace and security. It called for the accountability of the perpetrators, organizers, financiers, and sponsors of such attacks, urging states to cooperate with Pakistan in bringing the responsible parties to justice. The statement reiterated that terrorism is unjustifiable, regardless of the motive, and emphasised the need for all countries to combat terrorism through all available means, under international law. Read more: K-P tightens school security after Khuzdar attack The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) also condemned the terrorist attack on a school bus in Khuzdar, calling it a violation of basic human rights and international law. HRCP strongly condemns the heinous attack on a school bus in Khuzdar, Balochistan, which has reportedly killed several children and left dozens injured. The deliberate targeting of schoolchildren—innocent noncombatants in every sense—is a red line that must never be crossed. This… — Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (@HRCP87) May 21, 2025 The HRCP stressed the need for the state to address issues in Balochistan through political dialogue and lawful measures rather than violent responses, while urging the identification and prosecution of those responsible for the attack. International reactions included strong condemnations from the United States and China. The US Embassy in Islamabad expressed sorrow over the murder of innocent children, emphasising that no child should fear going to school. We join Pakistan's leaders in condemning the brutal, unconscionable attack on a school bus in Khuzdar, Balochistan. The murder of innocent children is beyond comprehension. We grieve with the families who lost loved ones, and our thoughts are with those recovering. No child… — U.S. Embassy Islamabad (@usembislamabad) May 21, 2025 Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong also condemned the attack and reiterated China's support for Pakistan in countering terrorism and ensuring social stability. Khuzdar School Bus Attack The suspected bomber rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into the school bus as it drove past Zero Point near Rakhshan Hotel, Deputy Commissioner Yasir Iqbal Dashti said, adding that the bus was ferrying students to the Army Public School situated within the Khuzdar cantonment. The vehicle was rigged with more than 30 kilograms of explosives, according to the Bomb Disposal Squad. Read more: PM Shehbaz, Field Marshal Munir vow to end India-backed terrorism after Khuzdar attack The military's media wing stated that 'three innocent children and two adults have embraced Shahadat' and multiple children have sustained injuries in the 'cowardly and ghastly attack planned and orchestrated by the terrorist state of India and executed by its proxies in Balochistan. The ISPR added that India has unleashed its proxies to spread terror and unrest in Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa through such heinous and cowardly acts after miserably failing on the battlefield. Soon after the deadly attack, security forces cordoned off the area and launched an investigation. Security was tightened in and around Khuzdar following the bombing, with checkpoints established and patrols intensified to prevent further attacks.
