HR violations ‘biggest obstacle in development’

ISLAMABAD: The human rights violation is the biggest obstacle in the development of the country, said Senator Talha Mehmood, chairman of the Standing Committee on Interior.

He was addressing a workshop on ‘Human and Refugee Rights’ organised by the Society for Human Rights and Prisoners’ Aid. He said that it is very unfortunate that we are Muslims and living in an Islamic state, our religion provides us our rights, the charter and the resolutions of the United Nations cannot be compared with the rights sanctioned by God; because the former are not applicable on anybody while the latter are applicable on every believer. They are a part and parcel of the Islamic faith. Every Muslim or administrator who claims himself to be a Muslim, will have to accept, recognize and enforce them.

Qaiser Siddiqui from Unesco in his presentation on ‘Basic Human Rights’ said that history of human rights is as old as history of mankind itself. He said individual sovereignty is inherent in the individual human being and is embodied in the free will. He underlined the need for a firm political wisdom and will, necessary legislation and legal formation institutionalised approach and incorporation of human rights education in school curriculum to highlight importance of Human Rights in the society.

Jahangir Durrani from UNHCR in his address said that refugee problem has been in Pakistan since its independence as millions of refugees migrated from India to Pakistan during the partition of sub continent than a mass influx of Afghan nationals came from Afghanistan to Pakistan after Soviet invasion in Afghanistan.

He said Pakistan has been the most generous asylum country, who has hosted more than 3 million Afghan refugees, protected them, assisted them ad supported them voluntary return to Afghanistan.

Executive Director, Women Organization for Rights and Development Aqsa Khan highlighted the issues of women and child rights in Pakistan in her presentation. She said that the only international instrument on women rights is CEDAW.

Chairman SHARP Sayed Liaqat Banori said, “We are living in human right regime but human rights are not educated at any level in this country violation of human right is daily business and there is no institution to protect these violations even the judiciary as institution is not performing according to the requirement.

It is the time for judiciary as institution to come forward and dispense justice at the grass root levels and also eliminate impression of corruption in the quarters of judiciary.


(2011-11-4/thenews.com.pk)