While the civilized countries are emphasizing on the importance of human rights and have made their aids contingent with the better human rights record, Pakistan is becoming a security state in which basic human rights are flagrantly violated in the name of religion and terrorism. The plight of minorities in Pakistan is worsening day by day; misuse of blasphemy law to settle personal matters and forced conversions are frequent occurrences in Pakistan but no serious endeavor has ever been made by the government to ensure the implementation of the basic human rights which are constitutionally protected. Thousands of Hindu families have left the country due to forced conversion which is common in Sindh while Ahmadis feel vulnerable and threatened.
On the other hand, state security agencies have also become the violators of human rights, especially after the passage of PPO( protection of Pakistan ordinance) and the establishment of parallel judicial system by the military. These negative developments are not only dangerous for democracy but also for the basic fundamental rights of the people. The security and intelligence agencies have got unbridled powers to infringe the rights of the people in the name of terrorism and security. Moreover, terrorism and fundamentalism are being affiliated with a particular race and ethnicity which could lead towards polarization of the society.
As for as the performance of the government and other international human rights organizations is concerned, both have failed to address the issue. Human rights commission is nothing but a deaf and dumb spectator; lack of financial resources and continuous harassment by security agencies to human rights activists are the major issues. Moreover, lawyers hesitate to take cases relating human rights violations and blasphemy laws as they have to face serious repercussions and there is no security for them. Judges are also reluctant to give judgments regarding religious cases due to hyper-religiosity prevalent in the society.
TAYYAB BUTT,
Sialkot, February 22.