‘HR violation in S. Asia after 9/11 increased’
KARACHI: Speakers at a seminar on Monday said that human rights violation, particularly women’s rights, in the developing countries of South Asia had increased following the tragic incident of 9/11 in the United States.
Addressing the seminar organised by the Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology (Fuuast), the Asian Human Rights Commission (Hong Kong) Coordinator for Pakistan Desk, Baseer Naveed, said that violence, particularly against women, had increased tremendously in the South Asian countries after the attack on World Trade Centre in New York.
He said that law-enforcement agencies and security establishment had increased their suppressive activities and the agenda of human development, which already was not on a priority list, had further been pushed down the list.
He said that development of human capital should be the top priority in South Asia as it was not only necessary for these developing countries but was also necessary for the developed world.
He said that law-enforcement personnel tortured people to suppress their voice against the atrocities committed by their agencies in the name of ‘national interest’. As a result, violence spread in the society, he added.
Programme coordinator of the Hong Kong-based AHRC Moon Jeong Ho, speaking about the concept of folk-school said that it had been a success in Hong Kong and other parts of the world in spreading literacy and human rights awareness among the masses.
AHRC Bangladesh coordinator Ashraf Zaman said that most conditions – social, cultural, political, etc – in Bangladesh and Pakistan were almost similar as the situation relating to poverty, illiteracy and human rights violations in both the countries was more or so identical.
Similarly, laws to respect human right did exist in both the countries but were not followed by influential people nor were properly implemented by the governments, he said.
Dr Tauseef of Fuuast said that development of human capital was linked with the good human rights situation in a country and better human rights record led to sustained development. He was of the view that Pakistan’s constitution needed to be reviewed to ensure respect for basic human rights and elimination of a culture of corruption and poverty from the country.
Farooq Mughal, Nasir Abbas, Suleman D. Mohammad and others also spoke.
Source: Dawn
Date:10/5/2010
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