UN worried over rights violation in Pakistan
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Karachi,
Dec
19:
The
United
Nations
Human
Rights
Council
has
expressed
grave
concern
over
the
violation
of
human
rights
in
Pakistan
during
its
Sixth
Session
in
Geneva.
The
Secretary-General
of
the
Human
Rights
Commission
of
Pakistan
(HRCP),
Iqbal
Haider,
expressed
his
deepest
concern
over
the
dramatic
setback
in
human
rights
and
the
rule
of
law
in
Pakistan.
Participating in the debate on behalf of the HRCP and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) in Geneva, Haider said that during the period of emergency thousands of citizens including the judges, lawyers, journalists, teachers, students, trade union leaders and human rights activists had been victimized."
“Cases of forced disappearances were also pending before the Supreme Court of Pakistan", he added
“The January 8 election was not a step forward in the direction of sustainable democracy. Unfortunately, under the present conditions, it was aimed at sustaining the dictatorship," he claimed.
He urged the Pakistan Government to reinstate Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhary and all judges of the Supreme Court and high courts who had refused to take oaths under the Provisional Constitutional Order (PCO).
Haider also used the opportunity to demand the withdrawal of all amendments to the The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) ordinance and restrictions on the electronic and print media, and on the freedom of expression.
He also called for the immediate withdrawal of all amendments to the Army Act.
He urged the UN Human Rights Council to adopt effective measures for the implementation of the aforesaid recommendations, and to adopt a resolution that firmly condemned the current situation.
ANI>