The International Human Rights Day will be observed on December 10, 2011. For the occasion, NGOs fighting against violation of basic human rights, including Aurat Foundation, South Asia Partnership and the Human Rights Commission Pakistan (HRCP), have encouraged the civil society to join in commemorating those who have fought against such injustices.
HRCP said the situation in Balochistan must be taken into consideration and the Balochi people should be given their due rights, for which the rest of the country must fight.
“We believe that the human rights situation faced by the people in Balochistan, irrespective of their ethnic, religious or sectarian identity, is an issue of foremost concern in the country today,” said HRCP Chairperson Zohra Yousuf. At least 107 new cases of enforced disappearances were reported in the province during 2011, while previously ‘missing persons’ turned up dead, adding that since July 2010 at least 225 ‘missing persons’ were recovered from various parts of the province. The situation was particularly grave for non-Muslims and minority Muslim sects, she said, adding that as many as 80 members of the Shia-Hazara community have been killed in the province this year alone, for no reason other than the religious beliefs they held.
The murder of two HRCP activists and three journalists in the province in 2011 signified the dangers that those highlighting human rights violations face on a daily basis, she concluded.
