In 2010-2011, extra-judicial killings and enforced disappearances remained rampant, particularly in Balochistan, creating an extremely high-risk environment for human rights defenders. Judicial process in front of both the Supreme Court and high courts were being made unnecessarily lengthy. A large number of cases of enforced disappearances remained unresolved.
This was according to the Observatory Annual Report 2011 on the Protection of Human Rights Defenders launched here on Thursday. Chairperson Human Rights Commission of Pakistan Zohra Yusuf, Director HRCP I. A Rehman and Salima Hasmi were present on the occasion.
In an attempt to address the situation, in March 2010 the government set up a three member Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances (CIED), headed by a former Supreme Court Judge, which submitted its report at the end of the year. In April 2011, its findings were made public and the CIED claimed that it had not been able to make any substantial progress in tracing the whereabouts of missing persons in Balochistan.
According to the report, throughout 2010 and the beginning of 2011, the government of Pakistan failed to provide a safe and enabling environment for human right defenders who continued to be the victims of killings and abductions, in particular in areas that fall outside of its effective control, such as the provinces of Balochistan and Kyber PakhtunKhawa. Perpetrators of violations against human rights defenders were rarely brought to justice, and impunity remained widespread throughout the country. In 2010-2011, members of religious minorities remained particularly vulnerable. In particular, members of the Ahmadiyyah religious minority faced threats, discrimination and violent attacks, as illustrated by the attack on two Ahmadi mosques on May 28 2010 killing at least 70 members of the community.
The Shia community was also the victims of target killings, particularly in Balochistan. In addition, in January and March 2011 respectively, Governor of the Punjab and the Federal Minister for Minority Affairs were assassinated for opposing the blasphemy law. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights noted that these high profile killings were "symptomatic of pervasive violence against religious minorities in Pakistan and a lack of protection for their places of worship."
Torture remained widespread in 2010-2011, with security forces and other law enforcement agencies enjoying almost complete lack of accountability. Acts of torture committed in military custody or in detention centers run by the intelligence services were also endemic. Conditions of detentions remained poor in all parts of the country. As a welcome step, the government ratified the UN Convention Against Torture and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) on June 23, 2010. However Pakistani authorities made several reservations upon ratification, which raise serious concerns.
Freedom of Expression remained under attack by both government and non-state actors. Although Pakistani media can openly criticise the government, journalists were targeted for their critical views of the military, the countries intelligence agencies and the Taliban forces alike. Reportedly, 20 journalists and media workers were killed in 2010, making Pakistan one of the deadliest countries for journalists in the world.