Durrani survived. In a major development, Pakistan's parliament in May, passed a law guaranteeing basic rights for transgender citizens and outlawing discrimination by employers. On September 1, Saluhddin Ayubi in Rahim Yar Khan district, Punjab was arrested for robbing a cash machine and soon died in custody. 55 likes. Over 5 million primary school-age children in Pakistan are out of school, most of them girls. It also attempted to get support for a resolution on Kashmir at the UN Human Rights Council. Early marriage remains a serious problem, with 21 percent of girls in Pakistan marrying before the age of 18, according to UNICEF. In September, the new Imran Khan government appointed Atif Mian, a prominent academic belonging to the Ahmadiyya community, to join the government as economic adviser and then, almost immediately after, asked him to step down after the TLP and other Islamist groups objected to his appointment because of his religion. Parliament passed a comprehensive transgender rights bill in 2018. In January, the rape and murder of 7-year-old Zainab Ansari in Kasur, Punjab, led to nationwide outrage and prompted the government to promise action. Pakistan’s penal code criminalizes same-sex sexual conduct, placing men who have sex with men and transgender women at risk of police abuse, and other violence and discrimination. In June, the murder of 19-year-old Mahwish Arshad in Faisalabad district, Punjab, for refusing a marriage proposal gained national attention. In August, Honey, a transgender woman, was shot and killed in Manshera district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The death penalty is mandatory for blasphemy, and 40 people remained on death row at time of writing. Members of the Pashtun Tahhaffuz Movement (PTM) held protests demanding accountability for extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances. According to media reports, at least 66 women were murdered in Faisalabad district in the first six months of 2018, the majority in the name of “honor.”. The militant group Baloch Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the attack. However, in September 2017,  it led Organisation for Islamic Cooperation member states at the council in expressing concerns about the ethnic cleansing campaign against the Rohingya by the Myanmar military. In March, the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) adopted the outcome of Pakistan’s third Universal Periodic Review (UPR), which was conducted in November 2017. Although Prime Minister Imran Khan pledged to make social justice a priority after taking office in July 2018, his administration has increased restrictions on media, the political opposition, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). In April, the Pakistan Supreme Court suspended the execution of Imdad Ali and Kaniz Fatima, prisoners with psychosocial disabilities and ordered a bench of the Supreme Court to examine the issue. Women, religious minorities, and transgender people continued to face violence, discrimination, and persecution, with authorities often failing to provide adequate protection or hold perpetrators accountable. In July, Pakistan along with more than a dozen Muslim majority countries signed a letter supporting China’s policies in Xinjiang that ignored widespread repression of the region’s Muslims. In August, the Punjab anti-corruption department accused police officers in Lahore of keeping suspects in a secret detention cell and torturing them. Human Rights Watch research found girls miss school for reasons including, lack of schools, costs associated with studying, child marriage, harmful child labor, and gender discrimination. Violence against transgender and intersex women in Pakistan continues. Zaman was released after three days. Human Rights Watch received several credible reports of intimidation, harassment, and surveillance of various NGOs by government authorities in 2018. In April, a tailor in Taxila, Punjab, was arrested after local traders and religious leaders accused him of blasphemy. THIS IS ORGANIZATION HELP THE NEEDFULL PEOPLES OF PAKISTAN PROVIDE THEM LEGAL HELP AND ADVOCACY CURRENT ISSUE'S The event was organized by Ziauddin University (ZU) in connection with the International Human Rights Day. Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Human Rights: ‘Macron is doing to Muslims what the Nazis ( AND ISLAM) did to the Jews’ Grand Mufti of Jerusalem commanded 3 volunteer islamic Waffen SS Divisions to help Hitler murdering Bosnian and Serbian Jews and Christians. However, the government did not amend the law and instead encouraged discriminatory prosecutions and other abuses against vulnerable groups. Early marriage remains a serious problem, with 21 percent of girls in Pakistan marrying before the age of 18, and 3 percent marrying before age 15. The law grants individuals the right to self-identify as male, female, or a blend of genders, and to have that identity registered on all official documents, including National Identification Cards, passports, driver's licenses, and education certificates. On May 12, after militants attacked a hotel in Gwadar, Balochistan, killing 5 people, the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility. BAP politician Nawabzada Siraj Raisani was killed in the attack. Child sexual abuse remains common. However, in September 2017, it led Organisation for Islamic Cooperation member stat… The provisions of Pakistan’s penal code, which perpetuate discrimination against the Ahmadis, a religious minority, remain unchanged. In August, in an important enforcement of laws to prosecute so-called “honor killings,” the parents of Qandeel Baloch, a Pakistani social media celebrity who was murdered by her brothers in July 2016, were denied their request to “pardon” the perpetrators. KARACHI: Minority rights and a look at the history and future of human rights in Pakistan were the main topic of the discussion during an online interactive dialogue titled ‘Human Rights Vision 2020 & Beyond’ on Wednesday. PAKISTAN 2 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2019 United States Department of State • Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor of laws criminalizing consensual same-sex sexual conduct between adults; and the use of forced or compulsory child labor. Women from religious minority communities remain particularly vulnerable to abuse. The Pakistan Supreme Court had acquitted Aasia in October 2018, but she had remained in custody due to nationwide protests by religious groups. In some cases, regulatory agencies blocked cable operators from broadcasting networks that aired critical programs. At least 77 girls and 79 boys were raped or sexually assaulted in the first half of 2018, according to police reports, but none of the suspects had been convicted at time of writing and all had been released on bail. May 05, 2020 - Targeted News Service. In May, then-Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal was shot in an assassination attempt by an individual affiliated with an anti-blasphemy group at an election rally in Narowal district, Punjab. On April 30, two unidentified assailants killed a female polio worker in Chaman, Balochistan. Human Rights Watch: Pakistan - Investigate 'Disappearance' of Activist. In May, authorities registered a criminal case for inciting violence and defaming state institutions against Gulalai Ismail, a women’s rights activist and Pashtun leader, following protests against the rape and murder of a 10-year-old girl in Islamabad. In 2015, police identified a gang of child sex abusers in the same district. Several members of the political opposition were imprisoned on what they say are politically-motivated charges, raising fair trial concerns. Atif Mian said he stepped down because of “adverse pressure regarding my appointment from the mullahs and their supporters.”. The court said that a person with psychosocial disabilities cannot be executed. Women, religious minorities, and transgender people face violent attacks, discrimination, and government persecution, with authorities failing to provide adequate protection or hold perpetrators accountable. It was the second consecutive constitutional transfer of power from one civilian government to another in Pakistan. The government has done little to stop such forced marriages. Kadafi Zaman, a Norwegian journalist, was arrested by police in July while covering a political rally and was beaten up. In May, three people were killed and several others injured in violence between Pashtun activists and the army in North Waziristan. On concluding its 34th Annual General Meeting (AGM), the general body of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has called on the state to improve its human rights record—in particular to protect freedom of expression and to […] On July 21, nine people including six policemen were killed in two attacks in Dera Ismail Khan district, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. While there may be progress budding in regard to human rights in Pakistan, the road to completely improved human rights will be long and difficult. In a … Human Rights Watch received several credible reports of intimidation, harassment, and surveillance of various NGOs by government authorities. In May, riots erupted in Mirpurkhas, Sindh, after a Hindu veterinary doctor was accused of  blasphemy for allegedly providing medicines wrapped in paper printed with Islamic verses. As Ali Dayan Hasan, the Pakistan director of Human Rights Watch, explained: “Militant attacks on the Shia have occurred with increasing ferocity while the security forces have looked on helplessly. A number of  women and girls were trafficked to China and sold as “brides.”. In June, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) released the first-ever report by the United Nations on human rights in Kashmir. In May, a mob led by anti-blasphemy clerics attacked and destroyed two historic Ahmadiyya religious buildings. The Pakistan Broadcasters Association, a private industry association, claimed that the channels were taken off air without giving them a reason or a hearing. On July 13, in one of the most deadly suicide bombings in Pakistan’s history, at least 128 people were killed during an election rally held by the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) in Mastung district, Balochistan. At least half were girls’ schools. After months in hiding, Ismail fled to the US, where she sought asylum. Pakistan failed to enact a law criminalizing torture despite Pakistan’s obligation to do so under the Convention against Torture. Pakistan said the level of support for its candidacy reflected the confidence of the international community in its human rights credentials. Counterterrorism laws also continue to be misused as an instrument of political coercion. However, strikes primarily targeting law enforcement officials and religious minorities killed hundreds of people. At least 511 individuals have been executed since Pakistan lifted the moratorium on death penalty in December 2014. ... More than 10 cases of child abuse are reported daily in Pakistan. HUMAN Rights WATCH Pakistan, Islamabad, Pakistan. In October, Pakistan’s Supreme Court quashed the conviction and ordered the release of 47-year-old Aasia Bibi, a Christian woman from a village in Punjab province who had been on death row for eight years. The Sindh provincial cabinet approved a new law in August providing the right of women agricultural workers to have a written contract, minimum wage, welfare benefits, and gender parity in wages. A report by the Movement for Solidarity and Peace in Pakistan found that at least 1,000 girls belonging to Christian and Hindu communities are forced to marry Muslim men every year. Authorities do not allow independent monitoring of trials in military courts and many defendants are denied the right to a fair trial. In August, the district administration in Lahore sealed an Ahmadiyya prayer center after the local clerics objected to Ahmadis being allowed to pray openly. Pakistani law mandates capital punishment for 28 offenses, including murder, rape, treason, certain acts of terrorism, and blasphemy. Pakistan and China deepened extensive economic and political ties in 2018, and work continued on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a project consisting of construction of roads, railways, and energy pipelines. In several cases, government regulatory agencies blocked cable operators from broadcasting networks that had aired critical programs. In May, an estimated 1,500 farmers walked 140 km from the Indus Delta region to Thatta, Sindh, demanding that the government d… On May 4, the fatal shooting of Muni, a transgender woman in Mansehra district, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, attracted national attention. The militant group Islamic State (ISIS) claimed responsibility for the attack. Suicide bombings, armed attacks, and killings by the Taliban, Al-Qaeda, and their affiliates targeted religious minorities, security personnel, and politicians, resulting in hundreds of deaths. Child sexual abuse remains disturbingly common in Pakistan with 141 cases reported in just Lahore, Punjab, in the first six months of 2018. Saroop Ijaz, senior counsel, Asia division, Human Rights Watch, said that people have replicated the faith-based class system in Pakistan. Those on death row are often from the most marginalized sections of society. Blasphemy allegations and related rhetoric from both private actors and officials increased in 2018. While numerous cases of violence against women and girls highlighted the difficulty survivors face getting justice, authorities succeeded in enforcing some key reforms. The Pakistani government rejected a large number of key recommendations that states made to it during the UPR. Human Rights Watch - Pakistan Reports, background briefings, testimony, press releases and commentary on the human rights situation in the country View Detail South Asia Earthquake Relief On June 16, Muhammad Bilal Khan, a freelance journalist who ran a popular YouTube channel covering politics, was stabbed to death in Islamabad. Climate change and its impact on Pakistan featured more prominently in public discourse. Over 5 million primary-school-age children are out of school, most of them girls, for reasons including lack of schools in their areas, child marriage, and gender discrimination. In August, militants attacked and burned down at least 12 schools in Diamer district of Pakistan’s Gilgit-Baltistan region. In January, the European Union’s High Representative Federica Mogherini welcomed the release of Aasia Bibi, calling on Pakistani authorities to ensure her safety and that of her family. Gul Bukhari, a journalist in Lahore, was abducted in June by unknown assailants and released after a few hours. In September, following the Indian government’s decision to revoke the constitutional autonomy of  Jammu and Kashmir state, and arrest Kashmiri leaders and cut off phones and the internet, Pakistan downgraded its diplomatic relations, expelled the Indian high commissioner, and sought international intervention with a Security Council discussion. They also carried out unlawful attacks targeting civilians. On the same day, a suicide attack claimed by ISIS in Orakzai tribal district killed at least 33 people. Human Rights Watch said in its report released in 2014 that "Violence against women and girls – including rape, Honor killings, Acid attacks, Domestic violence and Forced marriage all remain serious problems in Pakistan. Journalists increasingly practiced self-censorship in 2018, after threats and attacks from militant groups. During counterterrorism operations, Pakistani security forces often are responsible for serious human rights violations including torture, enforced disappearances, detention without charge, and extrajudicial killings, according to Pakistan human rights defenders and defense lawyers. QUETTA: Pakistan should “urgently act” to protect Shia Muslims from rising sectarian attacks that have killed hundreds this year, Human Rights Watch said Thursday. Militants and interest groups also threaten freedom of expression through threats and violence. On July 9, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) blocked three television news channels—Capital TV, 24 News HD, and Abbtakk News Network—after they broadcast speeches of opposition leaders. In August, the national assembly’s standing committee on law and justice rejected a bill proposing to fix the minimum age of marriage of girls at 18. In July, the Supreme Court of Pakistan held that in cases of acid attacks, a mercy petition filed by the victim forgiving the perpetrator cannot be allowed because it constitutes “extreme cruelty.”. Historically tense relations between Pakistan and India deteriorated further following a February suicide bomb attack on a convoy of security vehicles in Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir. Imdad Ali and Kaniz Fatima, however, remained on death row at time of writing. GEO TV, a private television channel,  was forced off the air or had its audience’s access restricted as punishment for editorials criticizing the government. On April 23 and April 24, police officers protecting polio workers were gunned down in Khyber Pakhtukhwa. Members of extremist groups, government officials, and politicians threatened the media and carried out violent attacks on journalists. Pakistan has not banned the use of schools for military purposes, or endorsed the Safe Schools Declaration as recommended by the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in 2017. The police officials involved were arrested and face murder charges. There was a lack of government accountability, and abuses often went unpunished, Denouncing the attack on Pakistan’s minority Ahmadi community, international human rights groups - Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ)- on Thursday urged the Imran Khan-led government to 'urgently and impartially investigate a surge in violent attacks on members of the Ahmadiyya religious community'. At least 17 people remain on death row in Pakistan after being convicted under the draconian blasphemy law, and hundreds await trial. Press release HRCP elects new council Demands that state improve its human rights record Lahore, 9 November. 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