Caretaker Minister for Human Rights Ansar Burney and Turkish Ambassador to Pakistan Engin Soysal here on Friday discussed issues relating to human trafficking. The caretaker minister told him that government was taking concrete measures to eliminate the scourge of human trafficking forever.
They discussed human trafficking through Turkey to Europe as often people wishing to reach Western Europe adopt this route. Ansar said that human rights issues are of utmost importance for every government of the world.
"It is the basic right of an individual to have access to justice, security, health facility, education and all other rights embodied in the UN charter," he added. The minister apprised the ambassador about his visits to jails in the country and directives for improving conditions there.
The caretaker minister for Human Rights informed him that Human Rights Commission of Pakistan would be established soon. "It will have independent members, having no political affiliations and they will be mandated to use all possible means to curb human rights violation from the society," he added while apprising him about its composition. He said a number of concrete steps are being taken to tackle human rights issues besides, launching a vigorous mass awareness campaign.
He said it is for the first time in the history of Pakistan that effective mechanism of international standards is being adopted to address human rights issues.
He informed that certain issues like human trafficking, child abuse and plight of prisoners languishing in jails for long time were also given top priority. Caretaker Minister for Sports and Tourism Sardar Jogezai and Secretary Human Rights Syed Ghazanffar were also present during the call on. The ambassador informed Sardar Jogezai that a new office of culture and tourism would be opened in Turkish embassy.