LAHORE  -  The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) deeply mourned the loss of Kuldip Nayar, eminent Indian columnist and one of the region’s most committed human rights activists.

In a statement issued on Friday, HRCP said, “Few people on either side of the border can claim to have matched Nayar’s unyielding commitment to peace and reconciliation between India and Pakistan. Yet his belief in the principle that regional peace is more than simply a function of diplomacy – that it is a universal ideal worth fighting for – will continue to inspire human rights activists in both countries. Human rights have no borders and, for HRCP and its co-founder, the late Asma Jahangir, Nayar was very much a comrade in arms.

“Mr Nayar spent a lifetime defending progressive causes. He wrote prolifically and eloquently, and had the courage of his convictions when it meant holding to account either country for violating people’s fundamental freedoms or for attempting to circumvent the cause of democracy. The loss is indeed an irreparable one. The Commission expresses its sincerest condolences to Nayar’s family, friends and colleagues.”