ASIA/PAKISTAN - Protection of human rights: the government must put the National Plan into practice

Thursday, 12 May 2016 human rights   religious minorities   violence   religious freedom  

Peace CEnter

Lahore (Agenzia Fides) - "The Pakistani government must allocate the necessary funds and implement the National Action Plan on human rights in Pakistan, announced in February 2016". This is what Catholic Peter Jacob, Director of the "Centre for Social Justice", based in Lahore calls for. The Action Plan on Human Rights, already approved by the government, includes vast areas of intervention: political and legal reforms; access to justice; the implementation of international treaties; the establishment and strengthening of state bodies dealing with human rights; the initiation of a monitoring mechanism for the plan itself.
"The plan includes a series of urgent actions that should be implemented by 2016, distributing tasks and responsibilities among the different ministries and departments", notes Jacob. The plan, says Jacob, is also committed to allocating 250 million rupees to create a special "Institute for Human Rights", which offers free legal assistance to victims of abuses of human rights in Pakistan. "The content of the plan is good, but there are still some issues that need to be answered. For example, one could link this institute to a university". In addition, asks the activist, "how to promote the teaching of human rights in school, without removing prejudice and hatred towards religious minorities contained in textbooks?". Jacob also hopes for the involvement of civil society in the implementation of the Plan, that "would be a step forward for social harmony, the protection of legality and protection of human dignity in Pakistan". (PA) (Agenzia Fides 12/05/2016)


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