If the article 62 and 63 of 1973 Constitution of Pakistan is implemented in letter and spirit then - Jinnah Ka Mazar, Iqbal Ka Mazar, Deobandiyat, Barelviyat, Shiyat, Ahmediyat and Qadianiat sub ka Sub Danday Par Charh Jaigi (means everybody would either be in jail or facing the death sentence for apostasy for the blasphemy and disbelief in their respective books) ISLAMABAD The Pakistan Muslim League-N has rejected criticism of its leader Nawaz Sharif`s remarks about Ahmadis` rights following the suicide bombings on two mosques in Lahore last month. Mr Sharif upset religious and political circles last week after he said that “Ahmadi brothers and sisters are an asset” of the country. The former prime minister said Ahmadis were citizens of Pakistan. Mr Sharif may have succeeded in pacifying leaders of the Ahmadi community and other minorities who have been criticising the Punjab government for its failure to provide them protection, but this provided an opportunity to his opponents to launch a campaign against him and his party. PML-N spokesman Ahsan Iqbal told Dawn that the criticism was “just an act of exploitation”. “Nawaz Sharif said what the Quaid-i-Azam had already stated that all Pakistanis were brothers irrespective of their religion, language or caste,” he added. Mr Sharif`s comments drew criticism from Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, Jamaat-i-Islami, Wafaqul Madaris, Jamiat Ahl-i-Sunnat and Al-Hadith, Jamia Banuria and Khatm-i-Nabuwat Movement, Ulema and PML-Q. In a statement, leaders of Wafaqul Madaris, an umbrella organisation of over 20,000 Madressahs, urged Mr Sharif to retract his statement and advised him not to “defy religion for petty political gains”. JUI-F leaders termed the statement a “violation of the Constitution” as it had declared Ahmadis a minority community. “The PML-N chief should seek forgiveness from Muslims all over the world,” they said. Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, the PML-Q leader, said Nawaz Sharif had issued the statement to “protect his properties in the UK”. The participants of a recent Ulema seminar condemned Mr Sharif`s remarks and termed it an attempt to appease the US. Some religious leaders have even threatened to launch a campaign against the PML-N if Mr Sharif does not withdraw his statement. Ahsan Iqbal criticised all those who were giving `religious colour` to a statement which, according to him, had been issued in the `national perspective`. He said Mr Sharif had merely emphasised that every Pakistani citizen was entitled to equal respect and rights. Mr Iqbal was of the opinion that it was wrong to see the remarks in the religious context. He accused Pervaiz Elahi of exploiting the issue for political gains. REFERENCE: PML-N defends Nawaz`s remarks about Ahmadis By Amir Wasim http://archives.dawn.com/archives/36323 Haroon ur Rashid (PTI) Praising General Pervez Musharraf Daily Jang 18 Oct 1999
Asma Jahangir on Drone Attacks - After the first targeted assassination by drone killed six al-Qaeda suspects in November 2002 in Yemen, the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary, or arbitrary executions, Asma Jahangir, demanded some answers and indicated this probably violated international law. Jahangir wrote: The Special Rapporteur is extremely concerned that should the information received be accurate, an alarming precedent might have been set for extrajudicial execution by consent of Government. The Special Rapporteur acknowledges that Governments have a responsibility to protect their citizens against the excesses of non-State actors or other authorities, but these actions must be taken in accordance with international human rights and humanitarian law. In the opinion of the Special Rapporteur, the attack in Yemen constitutes a clear case of extrajudicial killing. REFERENCE: Obama Will Again Thwart UN Investigations of Drone War John Glaser, January 30, 2013 http://antiwar.com/blog/2013/01/30/obama-will-again-thwart-un-investigations-of-drone-war/
GENEVA, Jan 31: Israel must immediately start withdrawing its settlers from the Palestinian territories, the United Nations said on Thursday in a report that the Jewish state immediately dismissed as ‘biased’. “Israel must… cease all settlement activities without preconditions (and) must immediately initiate a process of withdrawal of all settlers” from the occupied territories, said a report commissioned by the UN’s Human Rights Council last March. Because of the settlements, Palestinians’ human rights “are being violated consistently and on a daily basis,” the three independent experts said in the report. Israeli quickly rejected the report, ratcheting up tensions that this week saw the Jewish state become the first country to ever boycott a rights review by the UN body. “The Human Rights Council has sadly distinguished itself by its systematically one-sided and biased approach towards Israel. This latest report is yet another unfortunate reminder of that,” foreign ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said in a statement. Israel settling its population into occupied territory falls “into the provision of article eight of the ICC (International Criminal Court) statute…on war crimes,” Christine Chanet of France, who chaired the mission, told reporters in Geneva. She said it was unclear if the ICC could prosecute Israel for such crimes. The experts, who will present their findings to the 47-member state council on March 18, also called on Israel to “ensure adequate, effective and prompt remedy to all Palestinian victims… of human rights violations that are a result of the settlements”. The council’s decision to dispatch the fact-finding mission to determine what impact the settlements are having on the rights of Palestinians so enraged the Jewish state that it immediately cut all ties with the body. Ms Chanet, along with Asma Jahangir of Pakistan and Unity Dow of Botswana, published their findings just two days after Israel became the first nation to boycott a regular review by the UN rights council. Israel has come under widespread international criticism for ramping up its construction of settlements in the Palestinian territories, notably in the occupied east Jerusalem, which the Palestinians want to establish as the capital of their future state but that Israel considers part of its “indivisible” capital. All Israeli settlements on Palestinian land beyond the so-called 1949 Green Line are considered illegal under international law. “Settlements are being maintained and developed through a system of total segregation between the settlers and the rest of the population” in the territories, the report found, adding that Israeli military and police helped maintain the segregation “to the detriment of the rights of the Palestinian people”. The report authors were not permitted to travel to Israel or the Palestinian territories for their mission but instead relied on a wide range of interviews. Through these interviews, Ms Jahangir said the experts, who she stressed were “neutral”, had seen agony. The report lists a long list of breaches, including to freedom of self-determination, non-discrimination, freedom of movement, equality, due process, fair trial, arbitrary detention, freedom to access places of worship, education, water and housing, which were “interrelated, forming part of an overall pattern.” For instance, the experts noted that different legal systems and standards apply to Palestinians and their settler neighbours. Settlers who commit violent acts against Palestinians are seldom held accountable, the report said, with a study by the Israeli Yesh Din rights group showing that more than 91 per cent of such cases between 2005 and 2012, were closed without indictment. In comparison, between 90 and 95 per cent of cases of violence committed by Palestinians against settlers were investigated and went to court. Arbitrary arrests and detentions of Palestinians were also common, pointing out that last year some 4,100 Palestinians were held in Israeli military detention – 21 of them under the age of 16. The report pointed out that since the 1967 Six Day War that saw Israel capture the Gaza Strip, the Golan Heights, the West Bank and east Jerusalem, some 250 settlements had been built in the latter two and today are home to an estimated 520,000 settlers.The settlements are “leading to a creeping annexation that prevents the establishment of a contiguous and viable Palestinian State,” the report found.—AFP REFERENCE: Israel asked to pull settlers from Palestinian land http://dawn.com/2013/02/01/israel-asked-to-pull-settlers-from-palestinian-land/
Haroon ur Rasheed on Asma Jahangir 30 Jan 2013 Dunya
Even Extreme Bigot like Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan hates Haroon ur Rasheed (Daily Jang 21 and 22 Nov 2011)
Asma Jahangir (part of the team) refused to go to Guantanamo unless allowed to interview inmates . United Nations human rights envoys have rejected an invitation to visit the Guantanamo Bay prison camp because the US has not accepted their terms. The envoys report on torture, arbitrary detention and other abuses for the UN. They had warned that they would not go to the camp unless the United States allowed them to interview the more than 500 inmates. The envoys say interviews are normal practice on all such visits. But the US says only the International Committee of the Red Cross is permitted to speak directly to detainees. "We deeply regret that the United States Government did not accept the standard terms of reference for a credible, objective and fair assessment of the situation of the detainees," the five envoys said in a statement. "Under the circumstances, we will not be travelling to Guantanamo Bay naval station." Of the five, the US had invited only three - Austria's Manfred Nowak, special investigator on torture; Pakistan's Asma Jahangir, who focuses on religious freedom, and Algeria's Leila Zerrougui, who looks into arbitrary detention. It did not accept Leandro Despouy, special investigator on the independence of judges and lawyers, and Paul Hunt, special rapporteur on mental and physical health. The others had said they would still accept the invitation, extended in October nearly four years after first attempts to visit were made, providing the US agreed to the interviews. But the US insists that although they can question US military officials, the envoys will not be allowed to speak to any detainees. "The ICRC has been doing it for a great many years ... so we're not inclined to add (to) the number of people that would be given that extensive access," US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said earlier this month. Human rights activists have criticised the United States for the indefinite detention without trial of the detainees at the US naval base. Only nine, including Australian David Hicks, have been charged so far with any crime. The Pentagon has defended its treatment of prisoners and denied that torture has occurred at the facility. REFERENCE: UN envoys turn down Guantanamo visit Posted Fri Nov 18, 2005 11:00pm AEDT http://www.abc.net.au/news/2005-11-18/un-envoys-turn-down-guantanamo-visit/743674 Ansar Abbasi on Asma Jahangir Daily Jang 28 Jan 2013
Asma Jahangir Chairperson: Posted on August 13, 2008 by HRCP Press Release, August 12 Lahore: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan urges the government of Pakistan to fulfil its duty of ensuring that Dr. Aafia Siddiqui receives full justice, necessary facilities and immediate medical attention. HRCP demands an official investigation into Dr. Siddiqui’s, and her children’s, disappearance and details of their detention - from the point of being picked up in 2003 till the present. HRCP also emphasises that Dr. Siddiqui should not be repatriated to Pakistan against her wishes and be given the full opportunity to contest her case in the US. The fear is that once she has been repatriated to Pakistan she will be pressurised by the intelligence agencies to maintain silence and she will not be able to secure justice. Though it may be a relief that she has been traced there is no information about Dr. Siddiqui’s children. The government must also disclose the whereabouts of her children. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has been following the case of disappearance of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui and her three children since early 2003. The information collected by HRCP at that particular time was that in March 2003 Dr. Siddiqui, along with her three children, left her mother’s house in a taxi on her way to the Karachi airport and was picked up by an intelligence agency. What she was accused of when picked up has not been made public. Strangely, the only charge against her is an alleged assault against her captors while in custody. A statement was issued expressing concern on this most heinous violation of human rights and HRCP demanded an explanation from the government. The parents of Dr. Siddiqui were also contacted, who were under sever threat of the intelligence agencies and warned not to speak either to the press or any human rights organization. At one point office bearers of the HRCP contacted the family of Dr. Siddiqui and arranged to meet but at the last minute they expressed their “inability” to see the office bearers despite the fact that the meeting was arranged at their request. Since then HRCP representatives have been in touch with the family and filed a constitutional petition in the Supreme Court which is still pending. The petition was heard on the 8th of March 2007 and at several subsequent hearings the government expressed their ignorance of the whereabouts of Dr. Siddiqui and her children. HRCP is convinced that Dr. Siddiqui and her three children were picked up from Karachi as is evident from the initial reports and urges the government to now play a positive role in insuring that she gets full justice, fair trial as well as compensation from the government of United States for the mistreatment meted out to her. HRCP appreciates that the Pakistan mission has sought consular access to her yet these belated efforts can only be compensated if the Pakistan government is able to intervene in the courts in the US and submit an honest investigation report HRCP will remain in touch with the legal team defending Dr. Siddiqui and will make all efforts to submit its own reports through her lawyers. The violation of the rights of Dr. Siddiqui and her children, and countless other missing persons, is squarely the responsibility of the government of Pakistan. There is enough evidence indicating that she was initially picked up by the intelligence agencies in Pakistan and therefore it is not only the government of the United States but also the government of Pakistan that must be made accountable for this crime. HRCP fears that the fate of Dr. Siddiqui will be the same as hundreds of others who have disappeared, been tortured and rendered to third countries without following the legal process. Regrettably petitions of hundreds of people in almost similar circumstances are pending in the courts of Pakistan and not in one single case has full justice been delivered. No one has received compensation neither have the perpetrators been brought to justice. Asma Jahangir Chairperson REFERENCE: Pakistan must ensure justice to Dr. Aafia; probe her children’s disappearance: HRCP Posted on August 13, 2008 by HRCP http://hrcpblog.wordpress.com/2008/08/13/pakistan-must-ensure-justice-to-dr-aafia-probe-her-children%E2%80%99s-disappearance-hrcp/
Ansar Abbasi on Imran Khan and article 62 and 63 Jang 31 Jan 2013
Will not accept Asma Jahangir as caretaker PM: Imran LAHORE: Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan on Monday said that his party will not accept the appointment of prominent social activist and former Supreme Court Bar Council chairman Asma Jahangir as caretaker prime minister. Speaking at a press conference in Lahore on Monday, Khan alleged that the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) have entered into a deal among themselves. Rejecting any chance of participating in the PML-N’s protest march in Islamabad, the PTI chief said that there was no chance that the two parties could enter into a pact with one another. Khan said that, instead of protesting with the PML-N, his party would hold a separate protest demonstration. Moreover, the PTI chief rubbished talks of carving a new province out of south Punjab, rejecting it as mere a “election stunt”. Khan again called for President Asif Ali Zardari’s resignation, reiterating his stance that polls could not be ‘free and fair’ with Zardari as president. Khan said that the PTI would accept the chairman Senate as acting president in case of President Zardari’s resignation. Khan further reassured that the PTI would not boycott the general elections, and vowed that his party would achieve success in the upcoming polls. REFERENCE: Will not accept Asma Jahangir as caretaker PM: Imran 28th January, 2013 http://dawn.com/2013/01/28/will-not-accept-asma-jahangir-as-caretaker-pm-imran/
MQM vs Imran Khan and Sita White Illegitimate Child Tyrian Jade http://www.scribd.com/doc/102551755/MQM-vs-Imran-Khan-and-Sita-White-Illegitimate-Child-Tyrian-Jade
UN Special Rapporteur Asma Jehangir Report on India http://www.scribd.com/doc/12681097/UN-Special-Rapporteur-Asma-Jehangir-Report-on-India
NEW DELHI, Feb 4 A UN report has slammed the pervasive climate of fear and intolerance perpetuated by religious mobs in many parts of India, and asked the government to provide effective protection to the minorities of whom Christians and Muslims in particular were vulnerable, often helpless and increasingly ghettoised. “Even though a comprehensive legal framework to protect freedom of religion or belief does exist, many of (the) interlocutors, especially from religious minorities, remain dissatisfied with its implementation,” a report on India by Ms Asma Jahangir, Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion and belief, said. A copy of the UN document was made available to Dawn on Wednesday. “Organised groups claiming roots in religious ideologies have unleashed an all-pervasive fear of mob violence in many parts of the country,” Ms Jahangir said. “Law enforcement machinery is often reluctant to take any action against individuals or groups that perpetrate violence in the name of religion or belief. This institutionalised impunity for those who exploit religion and impose their religious intolerance on others has made peaceful citizens, particularly the minorities, vulnerable and fearful.” She encouraged specific legislation to prevent communal violence but cautioned that it should take into account the concerns of religious minorities so as not to reinforce “impunity of communalised police forces at the state level”.
Religious conversion
The laws and bills on religious conversion in several Indian states should be reconsidered since they raise serious human rights concerns, the report said. It focussed on religious discrimination applied in the way affirmative action was offered to the lowest castes. “The eligibility for affirmative action benefits should be restored to those members of scheduled castes and scheduled tribes who have converted to another religion,” the report recommended. Christian and Muslim Dalits are denied benefits of affirmative action given to Hindu Dalits. Ms Jahangir travelled in March last year to Amritsar, Delhi, Jammu, Srinagar, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Thiruvananthapuram, Bhubaneswar and Lucknow where she met representatives of various religious or belief communities, including Baha`is, Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Humanists, Jains, Muslims, Sikhs and Zoroastrians.
“The Special Rapporteur was impressed by the vigour with which many members of civil society organisations and artists, particularly by those affiliated with the film industry, are challenging discrimination based on religion or belief and are proposing concrete means how to overcome religious intolerance,” the report said. Ms Jahangir condemned the killing of Christians and the widespread destruction of their churches in Orissa. “By the end of September 2008, more than 40 people had allegedly been killed in Orissa, over 4,000 Christian homes destroyed and around 50 churches demolished. Around 20,000 people were living in relief camps and more than 40,000 people hiding in forests and others places. The Special Rapporteur was profoundly alarmed by the humanitarian situation in relief camps where access to food, safe drinking water, medical care, proper sanitary arrangements and adequate clothing were reportedly lacking. Many Muslims were disturbed that terrorism was associated with their religion despite various public statements from Muslim leadership denouncing terrorism. “There have been complaints about a continuing bias among security forces against Muslims in Jammu and Kashmir who also seem to face difficulties with regard to the issuance of passports and security clearances for employment purposes,” the report pointed out.
Cross-border terror
However, a large number of her interlocutors, including Muslims, expressed concerns about continued radicalisation and cross-border terrorism. They lamented that the radicalisation of certain Muslims had an adverse impact on the entire community because communal relations hardened after every act of terrorism carried out by a militant group of Muslims. She expressed serious concern at the extended timeframe of investigations in cases involving communal riots, violence and massacres such as those which occurred after “Operation Blue Star” in 1984, after the destruction of Babri Masjid in 1992 and after the Godhra train burning incident in 2002. “All of these incidents continue to haunt the people affected by them and the system of impunity emboldens forces of intolerance.” Of the Gujarat violence in 2002, she said, there were credible reports that inaction by the authorities was evident. Most of the Special Rapporteur`s interlocutors, including politicians, alleged complicity by the state government. While discussing the events with victims, the Special Rapporteur could see their continuing fear which was exacerbated by the distress that justice continues to evade most victims and survivors. A large number of criminal cases relating to the communal violence in 2002 remain un-investigated or have been closed by the Gujarat police and the plight of those internally displaced from their home continues. “In addition, there is increasing ghettoisation and isolation of Muslims in certain areas of Gujarat, for example in one part of Ahmedabad which is colloquially called `little Pakistan`. The assertion of the state government that development by itself will heal the wounds does not seem to be realistic.” According to the norm, the report was given to the Indian government, which has not commented on its findings. REFERENCE: UN report slams violation of Indian minorities` religious rights By Jawed Naqvi http://archives.dawn.com/archives/33715 Report of the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, Asma Jahangir : addendum : mission to India http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/country,,,MISSION,IND,,498ae8032,0.html
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