Rejecting the report of the Interior Ministry claiming increased kidnapping incidents and targeted killings in Balochistan, the Senate Committee on Human Rights decided to conduct an independent assessment on the violation of human rights in the province.
The Senate committee decided to meet the families of the affected people and consult the Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) reports on the province.
The Senate Standing Committee, which met with Senator Afrasyab Khan Khattak in the chair, was briefed by Interior Ministry Additional Secretary Arif Ikram. Presenting a one-page briefing, Arif told the committee that kidnappings and targeted killings were responsible for the instability in the province as criminal gangs had run amok. Asked to present figures on kidnappings and targeted killings, he said the figures were not available.
Subsequently, the Senate committee rejected the report with the committee chairman claiming the report was an eye-wash and the Balochistan issue was political, not criminal. Khattak said a large number of people in Balochistan had been abducted, killed and dumped without any case of ransom emerging. The committee decided to hold a meeting in Balochistan, meet the families of victims and study the HRW and HRCP reports to undertake an independent assessment of killings taking place in violation of human rights.
Meanwhile, Senator Hafiz Rashid Ahmed asked the committee to discuss the FATA and PATA Regulations as the law was in violation of human rights. Rashid said the FATA regulation was worse than the FCR. Rashid said if the new law had been made due to terrorism, it must be asked why the government was not making a similar law to arrest violence in Karachi. He said FATA was being discriminated against and laws in violation to the Constitution were being enacted. He also asked the committee chairman to ensure provision of copies of the law to the members of the committee. The chairman directed the ministry concerned to provide copies of the two regulations to the committee.
Earlier, the Human Rights Ministry told the committee that crimes against women including acid burns, sexual harassment and violence had increased. The secretary told the committee that Punjab had the highest number of incidents while the number of incidents was lowest in Gilgit-Baltistan. She added the Punjab government had refused to take over the 12 Women Distress Centres of the federal government, previously managed by the Women Affairs Ministry, after devolution.
Senator Pervaiz Rashid said he would ask the Punjab government to take over the centres if the committee recommended it. Senator Pervaiz Rashid said the ministry should have a minister instead of an advisor to make the ministry effective against human rights violations.