*WASHINGTON: Pakistan has seen a visible decline in terrorism fatalities byalmost 40 per cent last year, according to the US State Department reportreleased here.*
The annual report on human rights points out that terrorism fatalitiesuntil October 2017 stood at 1,084, in comparison with 1,803 fatalities in2016. The data, collected for the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP),indicated a 39.878 per cent decrease, which would have improved further ifdata for the last two months of 2017 were also included.
“The military sustained significant campaigns against militant andterrorist groups. Nevertheless, violence, abuse, and social and religiousintolerance by militant organisations and other non-state actors, bothlocal and foreign, contributed to a culture of lawlessness in some parts ofthe country,” the report says. This was more obvious in Balochistan, Sindh,Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata).
While the report highlights poor state of inmates. “Conditions in someprisons and detention centers were harsh and life threatening. Problemssuch as overcrowding and inadequate medical care were widespread.”
“Prison conditions often were extremely poor. Overcrowding was common. TheSociety for Human Rights and Prisoners’ Aid-Pakistan (SHARP) estimated thetotal nationwide prison population fluctuated between 95,000 and 107,000while claiming that the normal capacity of prisons was approximately36,000. The Inspector General’s Office reported prison capacity of 52,784.”
The State Department report also highlights the issue of forceddisappearances in Pakistan, noting that in 2017, “there were kidnappingsand forced disappearances of persons from various backgrounds in nearly allareas of the country. Some police and security forces reportedly heldprisoners incommunicado and refused to disclose their location”.
The report mentions disappearance of MQM workers in Karachi and ofnationalists in interior Sindh, Balochistan and KP. The report also allegesthat dozens of political workers and activists were kidnapped, tortured andkilled in all these places.
The report points out that the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court and thehigh courts’ do not extend to several areas that operated under separatejudicial systems. For example, the Azad Jammu and Kashmir has its ownelected president, prime minister, legislature, and court system.Gilgit-Baltistan also has a separate judicial system.
“Many *such platforms* remained corrupt, inefficient, and subject topressure from wealthy persons and influential religious or politicalfigures.”
The report interestingly highlights that “Independent media were active andexpressed a wide variety of views, and journalists often criticized thecivilian portions of the government.” The press addressed the persecutionof minorities. By law the government may restrict information that might beprejudicial to the national interest. Threats, harassment, and violenceagainst journalists who reported on sensitive issues occurred during theyear, it adds.
The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) licensed 89private domestic and 22 foreign television channels; many of the channelswere critical of the government. There were 143 commercial FM radiostations, but their licenses prohibited news programming. Some channelsevaded this restriction by discussing news in talk-show form.