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Express Tribune
7 days ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Minorities' role in shaping Pakistan lauded in Senate
The Senate on Tuesday unanimously passed a resolution lauding minorities for their vital role in the country's development, unity, and cultural, social, and economic enrichment. The resolution, moved by Senator Danesh Kumar, noted that Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, in his historic address on 11 August 1947, unequivocally declared that all citizens of Pakistan, irrespective of religion, caste, or creed, shall enjoy equal rights, freedoms, and protections under the law. It highlighted that this principle remains a cornerstone of the country's policy towards minorities, adding that the Constitution enshrines the fundamental rights of minorities, ensuring their freedom of religion, equality before the law, and protection against discrimination. The resolution highlighted that Pakistan is a signatory to international covenants, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which affirm the rights of minorities. It further underscored that fostering interfaith harmony, social cohesion, and inclusivity is essential for national unity and prosperity. On the occasion of the National Day for Minorities, the resolution acknowledged the invaluable contributions of minorities to the development, progress, and unity of the nation. It paid profound tribute to the minorities of Pakistan for their unwavering patriotism, sacrifices, and exemplary contributions to the country's growth. The resolution reaffirmed the Senate's unwavering commitment to safeguarding the constitutional, legal, and human rights of all minorities, ensuring their dignity, security, and equal status as citizens of the state. It appreciated and commended the Chairman Senate for the visionary initiative of establishing the Minorities Caucus in the Senate of Pakistan. This joint parliamentary forum, with representation from both the National Assembly and the Senate, aims to collectively address concerns and promote the rights of minorities.
The South African
01-08-2025
- Politics
- The South African
Travel ban on Issa Tchiroma sparks fierce storm in Cameroon
On 31 July 2025, Cameroonian presidential candidate Issa Tchiroma Bakary was barred from flying to Senegal at Yaoundé Nsimalen International Airport. Tchiroma, who leads the Front for the National Salvation of Cameroon (FSNC) party, was accompanied by his daughter. The pair intended to visit the grave of former president Ahmadou Ahidjo in Dakar. Eyewitnesses and local media report that airport officials told Tchiroma he could not travel, citing undisclosed 'orders from above'. Notably, officials provided no written documentation, warrant, or legal justification for the travel ban. As of 1 August, the Cameroonian government has remained silent, intensifying speculation that the decision was politically motivated. POLITICAL CONTEXT DEEPENS PUBLIC SUSPICION Tchiroma's sudden travel restriction comes amid his active campaign for Cameroon's 12 October 2025 presidential election. In June 2025, he resigned from his government post, publicly criticising President Paul Biya's administration as 'broken' and 'paralysed'. Since launching his presidential bid, Tchiroma has called for structural reforms, promising to dismantle the current regime and restore constitutional order. His push for an opposition coalition has gained momentum in recent weeks. The Issa Tchiroma travel ban's timing, coinciding with the intensifying coalition-building efforts, has fuelled fears of electoral manipulation. Legal experts and civil society organisations are raising serious constitutional concerns. Cameroon's laws guarantee citizens the freedom of movement, yet Tchiroma's ban was issued verbally, without a court order or legal precedent. Legal scholars and human rights observers argue that the travel restriction on Issa Tchiroma may violate Article 13 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), which guarantees individuals the right to leave any country, including their own, and to return. Article 13(2) of the UDHR states, 'Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.' Cameroon is a signatory to the UDHR and has incorporated many of its provisions into national legal frameworks. Meanwhile, public reaction has been swift, with widespread condemnation from civil society and activists accusing the government of suppressing dissent. Opposition figures, including members of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement (MRC) and the Social Democratic Front (SDF), have strongly condemned the travel ban. They describe it as a direct attack on democracy, warning it could undermine the legitimacy of the upcoming vote. Sources close to Issa Tchiroma Bakary have acknowledged the challenges posed by the travel ban but stressed their commitment to continuing political activities and dialogue ahead of the election. Society accuses President Paul Biya of political repression, aiming to limit fair competition. Human rights groups have consistently condemned the government's actions, including arbitrary arrests and crackdowns on protests. As of August 2025, the African Union (AU) has not made a formal statement, but legal experts and monitoring groups remain vigilant. Barrister Agbor Balla, a leading Cameroonian human rights lawyer and constitutional expert, has urged the government to respect constitutional rights. He warns that travel bans without due process violate both national laws and international human rights standards. This incident adds to political tensions, especially after the electoral commission barred opposition leader Maurice Kamto, increasing concerns over the fairness of the upcoming election. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 11. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
India Gazette
10-06-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
UKPNP condemns arrest of Kashmiri journalist in PoJK
Geneva [Switzerland], June 10 (ANI): Exiled chairman of the United Kashmir People's National Party (UKPNP), Shaukat Ali Kashmiri, UKPNP central spokesperson Sardar Nasir Aziz Khan and UKPNP Foreign Affairs Committee President Jamil Maqsood, along with the central leadership of the party has strongly condemned the arbitrary arrest of Kashmiri journalist Usman Tariq from Neelum, in Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK). UKPNP released an official press statement in which party leaders emphasised that the retaliatory actions against journalists in PoJK represent a flagrant violation of press freedom and an alarming height of suppression of freedom of expression. In the statement, the UKPNP leaders said that the retaliatory actions against journalists in PoJK represent the height of oppression of the free press. It demanded that freedom of expression and freedom of the press and media must be honoured. The UKPNP cited Articles 19 and 19A of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), emphasizing that everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression. UKPNP leaders highlighted that Pakistan is treating the disputed territories of PoJK and Gilgit Baltistan as its colonies, violating international norms. They noted that PoJK has been declared a 'security zone' where the international community, including human rights observers and journalists, are denied access. The statement said, 'They further said that those who raise legitimate concerns about human rights violations, unemployment, underdevelopment, rising extremism and terrorism, and systemic injustice are being targeted by the puppet administration in Muzaffarabad under the direct influence of Islamabad.' UKPNP urged the United Nations, international human rights organisations, and media watchdogs to intervene and hold Pakistan accountable. The regions of PoJK and Pakistan-occupied Gilgit Baltistan have faced discrimination and human rights violations for decades. People are being denied basic human rights and have many times raised their voice and the regions have witnessed massive protests on various occasions, however they have got nothing but only false promises. (ANI)
New Indian Express
28-05-2025
- Health
- New Indian Express
Menstrual health and dignity --aligning policy with rights in India
On the Menstrual Hygiene Day (May 28), campaigns and organisations are amplifying efforts to advocate even more vociferously for the adequate redressal of menstrual health challenges. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court of India has asked the Central Government to frame a model policy on menstrual leave. This is a watershed moment for addressing menstrual health as a fundamental human right rather than 'women's personal issue.' The order comes in light of the millions of menstruators in the country who still face discrimination, manage menstrual health and hygiene (MHH) with inadequate infrastructure and encounter stigma that undermines the constitutional rights. By the Constitution of India, we, as citizens, irrespective of whether an individual is a person with uterus or not, are guaranteed that the State shall not discriminate against any citizen on grounds including sex (Article 15), Right to Life and Personal Liberty which includes Right to Dignity (Article 21) is also envisaged in the Constitution along with the Right to Education (Article 21 A)- all of which implicitly support menstrual health and hygiene(MHH) rights. However, there are myriads of systemic inequities, including social and cultural taboos and stigma, that undermine these principles. India is a signatory to multiple international human rights frameworks that should protect menstrual rights -- the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) which establishes the right to dignity (Article 1), health (Article 25) and education (Article 26), the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which India has committed to achieving by menstrual health remains inadequately addressed because there is a stark gap between the Constitutional Rights as well as international obligations India is committed to upholdvis-à-vis lived realities of menstruators on the ground. Reflecting on my campaigning journey of over four years since launching the menstrual awareness and equity campaign, Alharh, in Bhagalpur, Bihar in December 2019, I have seen our humble youth-led initiative steadily grow to reach nearly 4000 people. Yet, even today, the voices from the ground remain dishearteningly similar: a tale of shame and stigma that represents clear violations of fundamental rights. During one of our community events, 'KhullamKhulla Baat Karenge', silence spoke louder than those who actually spoke. Fourteen-year-old Khushi confessed that she kept mum at the event because she was too shy to speak about periods in public. However, she listened. Weeks later, she volunteered at the campaign, mentioning: 'Since that day, I feel compelled to notice the discrimination we face, even within our own homes simply because we menstruate.' Inspired to break taboos within her own home, she deliberately entered her kitchen, a space she was not 'allowed' to enter during her menstrual days and touched the pickle. This small but significant act empowered her tremendously. Nervous yet determined, she also sent pictures of her holding sanitary pads as an attempt to normalize the stigmatized and the unspeakable. This was no small change.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Tennessee's immigration dragnet moves the state away from its commitment to human rights
Raquel Bueno, whose husband was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement on May 4, wipes her eyes as ICE agents and Tennessee Highway Patrol officers stand by. (Photo: John Partipilo) Seventy-seven years ago, the United States positioned itself as a world leader in human rights. World War II had ended, President Harry Truman sent former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt to the nascent United Nations where she was elected chair to the UN Commission on Human Rights and the U.S. became one of the first signatories on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). Tennessee's recent roundup operations in Nashville's immigrant communities mark the state's shameful turn away from core American values like human rights and constitutional protections. Throughout the first two weeks of May, the Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) collaborated with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in hundreds of traffic stops in Nashville's immigrant communities, apparently racially and ethnically targeting drivers. 'By all appearances, government officials racially and ethnically profiled residents, requested driver's licenses, inquired about tattoos, left cars abandoned on roadways creating traffic hazards, and tore at least one mother from her children,' read a letter signed by all but three of the Davidson County legislative delegation to the heads of Tennessee's Department of Homeland Security and the Highway Patrol. The law enforcement operations have led to around 588 traffic stops and 103 people being detained. Despite information requests from Mayor Freddie O'Connell and Davidson County's lawmakers, state and federal officials have not been forthcoming on who has been detained, where the detainees are, whether they've been officially arrested or charged with a crime, and what will happen to them next. Immigration and Customs Enforcement 'dragnet' in Nashville results in detentions These developments have been concerning to many because, before the Trump era, state and local authorities rarely enforced immigration law. Tennessee's Republican lawmakers put out statements supporting the raids. They are also the ones to thank for making these raids possible, because last year the Republican supermajority passed legislation making it easier for state law enforcement to work hand-in-hand with federal immigration authorities. It's also worth mentioning that, just in April of this year, the Tennessee General Assembly passed a bill that eliminated the Tennessee Human Rights Commission (THRC), which had safeguarded civil rights in the state since 1963. One does not have to be an immigration rights advocate to be concerned about what's happening in our communities. Detaining Tennessee residents for their skin color or for the neighborhood they live in violates their rights as enshrined in both the UDHR and the U.S. Constitution. The UDHR has 30 articles, but a few stand out today: – Article 3: 'Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.' – Article 9: 'No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.' – Article 10: 'Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.' – Article 14: 'Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.' These articles defend all humans from arbitrary arrest, detention, and exile while granting them the right to asylum and due process. Hispanic communities in Nashville are the descendants of families who left Latin America, often fleeing U.S. military intervention, CIA-backed covert operations and disastrous U.S.-led financial sanctions on their nations of origin. For these communities to be targeted again, this time on U.S. soil, is the height of cruelty. The Constitution is even more explicit in the protections it offers to all persons residing in the U.S. Racial and ethnic profiling violate the Constitution's Equal Protection Clause in the Fourteenth Amendment, which prohibits discrimination based on race. THP claimed their operations with ICE were justified because they were '…public safety operation[s] that targeted areas of suspected gang activity with a history of serious traffic crashes.' But even if that were true, the Equal Protection Clause prohibits racial discrimination even in communities with high crime rates. Quoting D.C.-based legislative attorney April J. Anderson, 'The Equal Protection Clause's prohibition on intentional racial discrimination remains true even if members of a given race are responsible for more crimes in a particular neighborhood or commit more crimes of a certain type. Even if the evidence showed that police relied on racial profiling out of a perhaps ill-conceived notion that it helped fight crime, the Equal Protection Clause prohibits intentionally relying on race in policing, no matter the underlying rationale for the policy.' The Fourth Amendment protects against unreasonable search and seizure and requires individual justification for law enforcement actions. The word 'individual' is the key word there, as dragnets, roundups, and other group-focused law enforcement operations have often been successfully challenged as Fourth Amendment violations. Again quoting Anderson, 'It [the Fourth Amendment] does not specifically prohibit racial profiling, but courts would not consider stops and searches based solely on a subject's race to be reasonable seizures because police have identified no individualized reason for suspicion.' Racial profiling and ethnically motivated law enforcement actions have a long, gruesome history in the U.S.. Yet from the 'Show me your papers' scandal in Maricopa County, Arizona to the Stop and Frisk policy in New York City, landmark court decisions were made, justice prevailed, and the protections offered by the Constitution were again held aloft as the supreme law of the land. Tennessee is at a turning point. Will it ally itself with a presidential administration that, as recently as May 9, floated suspending habeas corpus? Recent events suggest Tennessee officials want to play ball with the Trump Administration. Tennesseans need to remind elected officials they work for us, not the feds, because if constitutional protections don't apply to the most vulnerable of us, then they don't apply to any of us. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
