ISLAMABAD – Federal Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari said theMinistry of Human Rights Monday drafted a bill through amendments inPakistan Penal Code to declare ‘enforced disappearances’ a criminal offense.
Addressing to the seminar here she said the draft of the bill has beendrafted in consultation with all stakeholders and was sent to the LawMinistry.
Dr Mazari said that we are committed to ensure the rule of law andprotection of fundamental rights of our citizens guaranteed in ourconstitution.
She said the ministry of Human Rights has constituted a Committeecomprising minister for Interior, Law & Justice and Human Rights to lookinto the procedural delays and flaws in the existing system of pardon andmercy petitions.
In this regard, we have prepared reforms and summary has been forwarded tothe Cabinet for consideration of proposals to shorten the procedure ofmercy petition.
She was addressing the audience comprising students of Sindh MadrasatulIslam University (SMIU) in Islamabad.
Besides Dr Muhammad Ali Shaikh, Vice Chancellor, SMIU and faculty membersof the university were also present on the occasion.
She showed her grave concerns on the worst human rights violations inIndian Occupied Kashmir and urged the international community to comeforward and raise their voice to stop the human rights violation in IOK.“Why the world was silent on the massive abuse of humanitarian laws andviolations of human rights in IOK by Indian occupational forces, shequestioned.
She said “we need to highlight the worst human rights violations,systematic brutalities against women, crimes against humanity and abuse ofhumanitarian laws by Indian forces in Indian Occupied Kashmir at globallevel”.
The previous governments have failed to highlight the issue of worst Humanrights abuses in IOK, she added.Mazari said that the Citizenship Act of 1951 grants citizenship status toeveryone who is born in Pakistan adding that those born in Pakistan arePakistani nationals.
Human Rights Ministry has already started awareness campaign for thewomen’s right to inheritance adding that another drive to stop child abusewould soon be started by human rights ministry.
She said all provincial health ministers had been asked to set up separatewards for transgender people.Youth can play a pivotal role to create awareness to respect thetransgender community and disables, she further added.
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She said a helpline 1099 has been established at Human Rights ministry andgroup of lawyers are providing free legal aid to the victims of humanrights abuses.
She said we have recommended the education ministry to revise thecurriculum and add human rights as a compulsory subject in the syllabus,which also includes the respect for differently able people.
She said unlike in EU,” we are providing the separate laws for our non-Muslim communities and urged the western world to show respect for everyreligion adding that the freedom of speech does not cover the blasphemy;she referred the verdict of European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).
She said besides implementation of existing laws we are also devising newlegislation and in this regard Pro-Women legal initiatives have beenundertaken for the promotion and protection of women’s rights.
In order to uniform our national child rights legislation withinternational standards, various key laws have been enacted.
Ministry has drafter the Zainab Alert, Response and Recovery Bill, 2018which provides for making alert, response and recovery mechanism of missingand kidnapped children, she added.A Bill for protection of domestic workers is being prepared for protectionof their human rights.
The Ministry of Human Rights has also drafted Corporal Punishment Bill,2019 which prohibits any forms of physical, psychological and emotionalviolence as punishment.
Ministry of Human Rights has introduced the Bill for the Protection ofRights of the Persons with disabilities in parliament.
In the end, Dr Mazari answered the questions from the students and the ViceChancellor of SMIU also presented the souvenir to the Minister.