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HRCP calls for revision of laws constraining freedom of assembly

Lahore, March 17, 2022 (PPI-OT): The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has, in partnership with the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), released a study titled Freedom of Peaceful Assembly in Pakistan: A Legislative Review. The study identifies the laws and procedures that are used to restrict the constitutional right to freedom of peaceful assembly, either directly or indirectly. These include provisions in the Pakistan Penal Code, the Criminal Procedure Code, the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance, the Police Order, the Anti-Terrorism Act, the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act and other ancillary laws.

 

The study maps the range of situations and provinces/areas in which these laws and procedures have been used to restrict this right between 2010 and 2020. Of the 858 assemblies that took place during this period, the study notes at least 392 instances in which curbs on the right to freedom of assembly were disproportionate and unwarranted, involving excessive use of force, arbitrary arrests or detentions, registration of criminal and terrorism charges against participants, imposition of wholesale bans, and other attempts to obstruct assemblies.

 

The report underscores a massive disconnect between domestic law and international human rights standards related to freedom of assembly, despite Pakistan’s binding legal obligation to bridge these gaps after ratifying the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR).

 

The report recommends reassessing the current legislative framework, which is still deeply rooted in colonial-era policing strategies; creating and enforcing better protocols for law enforcement agencies that involve training in human rights and crowd-management practices, with emphasis on minimal use of force; allowing unrestricted media and digital access to assemblies; and facilitating free speech and movement for all assemblies rather than imposing content-based restrictions or blockading routes.

 

Provided they are non-violent in action and in speech, assemblies demanding the realisation of fundamental rights and advocating change are essential for a truly democratic society. People’s constitutional right to assemble must be actively protected.

 

For more information, contact:

Chairperson,

Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP)

Aiwan-i-Jamhoor, 107-Tipu Block,

New Garden Town, Lahore-54600

Tel: +92-42-35864994

Fax: +92-42-35883582

Email: hrcp@hrcp-web.org

Website: www.hrcp-web.org

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PPP Core Committee, members of the PPP-P, and senior leadership of the party meet to discuss the latest political situation in the wake of the vote of no confidence against Imran Khan

Islamabad, March 17, 2022 (PPI-OT): A meeting of the core committee of the Pakistan People’s Party was held Thursday evening in Zardari House Islamabad, presided over jointly by President Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians Mr Asif Ali Zardari and Chairman PPP Mr. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and attended by senior leadership of the Party.

 

The meeting was attended by the former prime ministers Yousuf Raza Gillani and Raja Pervez Ashraf, M Raza Rabbani former chairman senate, Syed Khurshid Shah, Naveed Qamar, Sherry Rehman, secretary general PPP Nayyer Hussain Bokhari, Senator Mustafa Khokhar, Qamar Zaman Kira, Chaudhry Manzoor, Shazia Marri, Rukhsana Bangash, Fouzia Habib and Farhatullah Babar secretary general PPPP.

 

The meeting discussed in detail the latest political situation in the wake of the no trust move against the Prime Minister by the parties in the opposition. The meeting felicitated the people of Pakistan on the victory that the Selected Prime Minister had lost his majority and mandate and that this fact will also soon be formally established as the democratic, constitutional and political process under the Constitution as it winds its way in the days ahead.

 

In the light of the reality that he has already lost the trust of the majority of National Assembly members the meeting declared that the Prime Minister had lost all moral authority and mandate to give directions to the bureaucracy which was henceforth under no obligation to take orders from him. The meeting also called upon the President of Pakistan to not take any advice that may be tendered by the Prime Minister.

 

The meeting expressed deep concern over the threats hurled at the members of Parliament by some federal ministers to disrupt the constitutional process of voting in the no confidence motion and vowed to resist any such attempt by those wishing to disrupt constitutional and democratic process. The meeting also condemned the desperate utterances of a federal minister aimed at creating a law and order situation on the day of no trust vote to derail the democratic process.

 

The meeting took special took note of the statement of the Interior Minister in which he has threatened to impose Emergency in the country in order to save their own political skin. No grounds exist for such a statement and all such moves shall be strongly resisted. The meeting placed on record its deep appreciation of the SCBA, the PBC and all bar councils and bar associations of the country for taking note of the situation and expressing deep concern over the threats of use of force to subvert the constitutional process of no confidence move.

 

It deeply appreciated the bar’s declaration to uphold rule of law, democracy and constitutionalism in the country. Blocking of roads and highways leading to the Parliament house and Supreme Court on the Constitution Avenue in Islamabad to block the no trust vote from taking place will tantamount to subverting the Constitution itself and attract relevant articles of the Constitution.

 

For more information, contact:

PPP Media Cell (Sindh)

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP)

Peoples Secretariat Shikarpur Colony,

Behind Mazar-e-Quaid-e-Azam, Karachi, Pakistan

Cell: +92-305-3370383

Email: contact@ppp-tu.com

Website: https://www.ppp.org.pk

 

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BCURE Training for PnD KP Government in Peshawar

Peshawar, March 17, 2022 (PPI-OT): CERP’s Building Capacity to Use Research Evidence (BCURE) training was organised in collaboration with SEED Pakistan for the PnD KP Government between 14-16 March in Peshawar. The goal of the training was to strengthen the capacity of the KPK government by making them informed consumers of evidence and data.

 

It included key speakers joining in for guest lectures; Maroof Syed, President and CEO CERP conducted an engaging session on Negotiation and Coalition Building. Dr. Asim Ijaz Khwaja, Director Harvard’s Center for International Development and Professor Public Policy Harvard University gave a lecture on how to become a learning organisation.

 

Dr. Adnan Qadir Khan, Professor at the School of Public Policy at The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), gave a lecture on choosing the right tools for making data driven decisions within the government. The training also included in-class case study discussions on Cost Benefit Analysis and on the Use of Descriptive Evidence. This allowed the participants to apply concepts to real world policy challenges situated within the Pakistani context. Also collaborating were The CLEAR Initiative and Evidence for Policy Design (EPoD) Harvard.

 

For more information, contact:

Centre for Economic Research in Pakistan (CERP)

29-P Gulberg II, Lahore – 54660, Pakistan

Tel: +92-42-35777844

Email: contact@cerp.org.pk

Website: https://www.cerp.org.pk/

 

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Criminal case to be lodged against PM, federal ministers if Punjab Police invades Sindh House, Islamabad: Saeed Ghani

Islamabad, March 17, 2022 (PPI-OT): Sindh Information and Labour Minister, Saeed Ghani, has warned that FIR would be lodged against the Prime Minister Imran Khan himself, his cabinet colleagues, and Islamabad Police if the Punjab Police dared to invade the Sindh House in the federal capital. Speaking at a press conference here on Thursday, the Sindh Information Minister said that days of the present federal government were numbered so the state personnel and agencies should not abide by its illegal orders.

He said the government officials were duty-bound not to follow the illegal orders of the government high-ups as per their oath as they had to face disciplinary action if they implemented the unauthorized directives of their superiors. He said the MNAs had been lodging at the Sindh House in Islamabad after the police action at the Parliament Lodges that resulted in the detention of the two Opposition lawmakers and misbehaviour against a Senator. Moreover, the Anti-Corruption Establishment in Punjab had been directed by the rulers to lodge cases against the legislators who didn’t support Prime Minister Imran Khan.

He said the lawmakers belonging to PPP, PML(N), and other Opposition parties had opted to stay at the Sindh House for their safety and security. He said the PTI’s lawmakers who didn’t support Imran Khan anymore were also staying at the Sindh House. Saeed Ghani said the legislators who stood with Imran Khan till the present day would also vote against the PM when voting would be held in the National Assembly on the no-confidence motion.

He said that several MNAs belonging to the ruling party had chosen not to come forward with an open show of opposition against the PM after the PTI had leveled false allegations against such dissident legislators and also threatened them with violence and attack.

Ghani said the Sindh Governor Imran Ismail accompanied by the legislators of the PTI had met Aamir Liaquat Hussain at his house earlier in the day and later on while talking to media persons the Governor profusely praised Hussain. He said that MNA of PTI Hussain also later told journalists that he was neutral, as on the day of voting on the no-confidence motion he would make his decision.

The Sindh Information Minister said that PM’s exit from power had become certain as a large number of the lawmakers belonging to the PTI would vote against the PM on the day when voting would be held on the no-confidence motion. He said the entire cabinet of Imran Khan would vote against PM if the federal ministers were given assurance by the Opposition that they would be retained as the cabinet members after the dismissal of the PM.

He said the lawmakers of the PTI had not become hostile towards the PM all of a sudden, as they had started opposing Imran Khan since sometime back in the past as their speeches in the National Assembly were the testament to this fact. He reminded the federal ministers who had been giving threats to invade the Sindh House should keep in mind that the lawmakers belonging to the PTI were in Karachi as they were yet to reach Islamabad.

“We are not under any kind of oath to remain gentle forever if you try to use force against any lawmaker. The way you treat our members (of National Assembly) we will treat your members in the same fashion. We will forcibly prevent your lawmakers if our legislators are stopped coercively. We will hold a gathering of millions of people in Islamabad after your similar public gathering in the federal capital as such show of hooliganism and disorderly conduct is no more allowed by the government,” he added. Saeed Ghani advised Imran Khan to accept the reality that his days in power were numbered as afterward he after becoming the ex-PM of the country would keep on crying.

For more information, contact:
PPP Media Cell (Sindh)
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP)
Peoples Secretariat Shikarpur Colony,
Behind Mazar-e-Quaid-e-Azam, Karachi, Pakistan
Cell: +92-305-3370383
Email: contact@ppp-tu.com
Website: https://www.ppp.org.pk

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Seminar on Pak-India relations held at GCU University

Lahore, March 17, 2022 (PPI-OT): An invited talk on “Neither a hawk nor a dove: an insider’s account of Pakistan’s foreign policy” by former foreign minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri was held here at the Government College Lahore. Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr Asghar Zaidi hosted the event held under the auspices of the University’s Book Club, Kashmir Society and Nazir Ahmed Music Society.

 

Addressing the large gathering of students and media persons, Mr Kasuri talked in detail about the Pakistan-India relations under Narendra Modi’s regime, the Russia-Ukraine war, stability in Afghanistan and resolution of the Kashmir dispute. He said that soon India would realize that they could not suppress the voice of Kashmiris. He said no power in the world would resolve the issue of Kashmir. He added Pakistan and India have no option but to hold a dialogue and to find a solution to the Kashmir issue through bilateral talks.

 

In reply to a question whether Pakistan should abandon the US for China and Russia, Mr Kasuri said foreign policy is like juggling a lot of balls, and Pakistan’s foreign office is capable of operating in several dimensions at a time. He said political and economic stability at home is the prerequisite of the successful foreign policy of any country.

 

The foreign minister also shared the memories of student life at the Government College Lahore. Talking about the GCU Kashmir Society, Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr Asghar Zaidi said India has lost the war in Kashmir, so there was a need for an active youth forum to raise voice for the people of occupied valley. Later, Mr. Kasuri and Prof. Zaidi responded to the questions of students and media persons.

 

For more information, contact:

Public Relations Department,

Government College University (GCU)

Squash Complex, GC University, Lahore, Pakistan

UAN: +92-42-111-000-010 Ext: 296

Tel: +92-42-99213343

Cell: +92-321-8440769

Email: registrar@gcu.edu.pk

Website: http://www.gcu.edu.pk

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VU and PSEB joining hands for “Sustainable Growth of IT Industry”

Lahore, March 17, 2022 (PPI-OT): A memorandum of understanding between the Virtual University of Pakistan and the Pakistan software export board was signed at the Lahore Expo Center here in Lahore today. Mr. Syed Junaid Imam Member (IT) Ministry of IT and Telecom attended the ceremony as chief guest, while Mr. Badar Khushnood Chairman Pakistan Software Houses Association for IT and ITES attended the event as a guest of honour.

 

Prof. Dr. Arshad Saleem Bhatti Rector Virtual University of Pakistan and Mr. Osman Nasir Managing Director PSEB signed the MoU. While speaking on the occasion Dr. Arshad Saleem Bhatti congratulated both organizations on this historic MoU. He said that the Pakistan software export board and the Virtual University of Pakistan being sister departments working under the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication decided to work on different ventures for the betterment of the IT industry and Academia.

 

Mr. Osman Nasir while briefing said that, PSEB will train the ICT graduates/students, professionals, and teachers also under the PSEB training and certification program. VU’s examination center will be used across Pakistan for these certifications, moreover, mobile Certification / Training Center on Wheels for Metropolitan Cities, and/or far-flung underprivileged/remote areas of the Country with Satellite Connectivity on the Go will be launched in near future. PSEB in collaboration with VU will establish IT Parks or STPs in future where ever it is feasible.

 

Dr. Arshad said that VU will provide its infrastructure to record the lectures and broadcast them through VU’s Learning Management System (LMS). He applauded the role of the Directorate of ICT specifically Director ICT Mr. Ehsen Zafar Puri and his team. Mr. Shaukat Ali Chief Technical Officer PSEB and Engr. Syed Naushad Y. Shah Network Executive Operations and Monitoring Virtual University have been nominated as Focal Persons to execute the action points of this MoU.

 

For more information, contact:

Virtual University of Pakistan (VU)

M.A. Jinnah Campus, Defence Road, Off Raiwind Road,

Lahore, Pakistan

Tel: +92-42-111-880-880

Fax: +92-42-99200604, +92-42-99202174

Website: www.vu.edu.pk