Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) on Thursday launched its annual report on “State of Human Rights in Pakistan” at Karachi Press Club.
Addressing a ceremony in this respect, Asad Iqbal Butt, a representative of HRCP, said that the IGP Sindh claimed that 1,800 accused were killed in police encounters, but only 500 such cases were reported in media. It indicates that some invisible hands tempered with this data, adding that extrajudicial killing is a crime and it should be eliminated.
Dr Yahya Sahikh, Dr Touseef Ahmed, AH Khanzada and others were also present.
Yahya Shaikh said that the report comments on legislations made by all provinces, and national assembly, administration of justice, law and order situation, jail, prisoners and disappearances, freedom of movement, freedom of thought, conscience, religion, expression, assembly, and association, political participation, state of women, children, labour, education, health, housing, environment and refugees.
He said that according to HRCP’s report, 324 people were given death penalty in 2015, while another 8,000 prisoners stayed on death row. 4,612 people died due to violence, and there was a 40% decrease compared to 7,622 violence-related deaths last year.
Anti-state violence dropped below 2008 levels: 706 militant attacks took place, in which 1,325 people including 619 civilians, 348 security forces personnel, 325 militants and 33 pro-government volunteers were killed.
HRCP report noted killing of 2,108 men and seven women in police encounters across the country. 65 prisoners died in the country’s prisons. 1,390 cases of enforced disappearance remained pending with the commission of inquiry.
Shaikh said that a positive change occurred that 65,000 names were removed from the Exit Control List and there was 80% reduction in polio cases to 54 from 306 cases last year.
During 2015, as monitored by HRCP 939 women became victims of sexual violence, 279 of domestic violence, 143 women were attacked with acid or were set on fire. 833 women were kidnapped. 987 cases of honor crimes occurred, in which 1096 female victims and 88 male out of which at least 170 were minors. While 3,768 child abuse cases occurred. 25 million children out of school and approximately 10 million child workers existed in Pakistan.
According to HRCP report, only 0.42 percent of GDP was spent on health and Pakistan have only 1,142 hospitals, 5,499 dispensaries, 5,438 basic health care units, 671 maternity and child health centers with only 1,75,223 doctors, 90,276 nurses, and 1,18,041 hospital beds for a population of around 190 million.
