News
Thursday, May 31, 2012
President signs National Commission for Human Rights BillStaff Report
KARACHI: President Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday signed the National Commission for Human Rights Bill 2012 for promotion and protection of human rights in the country as provided in the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the various international instruments to which Pakistan is a state party or shall become a state party.
Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah, federal ministers Rehman Malik and Moula Bakhsh Chandio, Adviser to the PM on Human Rights Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, provincial ministers and senior federal and provincial government officials attended the signing ceremony held at Bilawal House.
Briefing journalists the President’s spokesman Senator Farhatullah Babar said with the signing of this bill into law on Wednesday, Pakistan had fulfilled a core requirement of the two decades old Paris Declaration of 1993 calling upon states to set up independent human rights commissions, which was reiterated by the United Nations in 2008 soon after the present government took office.
He said that it was a great achievement considering the fact that the country was fighting war against militancy and complaints of human rights violations had been surfacing.
He said the bill states that this commission, headquartered in Islamabad, would consist of 10 members, including a chairperson and a member each from the provinces, Gilgit-Baltistan, FATA and Islamabad Capital Territory, minority communities and the chairperson of the National Commission on the Status of Women. At least two shall be women members in the commission.
A person shall be eligible for appointment as chairperson, who has been, or is qualified to be, a judge of the Supreme Court or a person having demonstrable knowledge of, or practical knowledge of, or practical experience in, matters relating to human rights. Similarly, a member shall not be less than 40 years of age and shall have knowledge and experience relating to human rights. The chairperson and members shall hold the office for a term of four years that may be extended once.
The law states that the federal government shall through public notice invite suggestions for suitable persons for appointment as chairperson and members of the commission and, after proper scrutiny, shall submit a list of these persons to the PM and the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly (NA). The commission would perform its functions by either taking suo motu or on a petition presented to it by a victim or any person on his behalf for violation of human right.
The spokesperson said that human rights bill was first introduced in the National Assembly in 2008 and passed by parliament this year. Babar said that the adviser on human rights who was present at the signing ceremony would now formally write to the National Assembly speaker urging her to form the parliamentary committee for hearings and confirmation in each of the posts in the commission the names for which will be forwarded to it by the prime minister in consultation with the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly in accordance with the new law.
He said that out of the nine core international human rights treaties, Pakistan has already signed seven core treaties. Discussions and consultations are going on in respect of the remaining two core treaties relating to forced disappearances and a labour-related treaty. Discussion on a resolution urging the government to sign the convention on preventing forced disappearances has already commenced in the last session of the Senate and will be taken up on the next Private Member’s Day in the Upper House under the rules and procedures, he said.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk