WASHINGTON, April 8: A US government report on Friday identified extra-judicial killings, disappearances and torture as major human rights violations in Pakistan.
The US State Department`s 2010 human rights report noted that last year the Pakistani government initiated an investigation into an Internet video showing men in military uniforms apparently committing extra-judicial killings.
But “a failure to credibly investigate allegations, impose disciplinary or accountability measures, and consistently prosecute those responsible for abuses contributed to a culture of impunity”.
Other problems identified in the report include poor prison conditions, instances of arbitrary detention, lengthy pre-trial detentions, a weak criminal justice system, insufficient training for prosecutors and criminal investigators, a lack of judicial independence in the lower courts and infringements on citizens` privacy.
The report also noted that harassment of journalists, some censorship and self-censorship were still practised in Pakistan. There were also some restrictions on freedom of assembly.
Corruption was widespread within the government and lower levels of the police force and the government made few attempts to combat the problem. Rape, domestic violence, sexual harassment, honour crimes, abuse and discrimination against women remained serious problems. Religious freedom violations, as well as violence and discrimination against religious minorities continued.
Child abuse and exploitative child labour were also reported. Widespread human trafficking, including exploitation of bonded labourers by land owners; forced child labour; and commercial sexual exploitation of children remained problems, as did lack of respect for worker rights.
During 2010, a new law to increase protection against sexual harassment was passed, and more than 40 ministries and departments incorporated the new code of conduct into their policies, although women`s rights groups sought more effective implementation.
The minister for minorities took an active role in assisting victims of religiously motivated attacks on Christians and Ahmadis and was eventually killed.
The government allocated four reserved Senate seats for religious minorities, one from each province; and police freed more than 1,000 bonded labourers.
During the year extra-judicial killings from 2009 came to light, including in September a video posted on the Internet of men in military uniforms executing six young men in civilian clothes. The young men were shown blindfolded and lined up with their hands tied behind their backs.
On October 8, Chief of Army Staff Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani ordered the establishment of a board of inquiry to determine the identities of the uniformed personnel seen in the Internet video. “By the end of the year, the military had not publicly announced the conclusions of its investigation into the video, and no one had been held accountable,” the report noted.
Days after this video surfaced on the Internet, another video emerged showing men in military uniforms beating prisoners in a remote location. The report noted that human rights groups had blamed the army for more than 200 extra-judicial killings in the Swat region during the past year.
Mass graves were reported in Kukarai village and in areas between the villages of Daulai and Shah Dheri.
Approximately 2,600 suspected militants were detained in Swat during the military`s operational phase, but none of them was charged or produced before a court. An additional 2,800 cases were lodged against suspected terrorists after the military operation in Swat concluded, but they also were not brought before a court of law.
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