‘NCHR draft to be presented to cabinet’

By Masood Rehman

ISLAMABAD: The draft prepared by the Human Rights Division of the Law Ministry for the establishment of the National Commission for Human Right (NCHR) will be presented in the forthcoming meeting of the federal cabinet, Law Minister Farooq Naik said on Sunday.

The minister told Daily Times steps were being taken for the release of prisoners detained in different jails of the country due to their inability to pay fines imposed on them. Naik said the issue of the release of Sarbajit Sigh, an Indian national facing the death penalty on charges of terrorism in Pakistan, would be dealt with in accordance with law. He said steps to provide welfare to disabled people and jailed women were being taken, adding the immigration laws were also being amended to stop human trafficking. He said evening courts would soon be set up to provide speedy justice to people.

Naik said a retired judge of the Supreme Court or a retired chief justice of one of the high courts would head the NCHR, adding the commission would be independent and would ensure the protection of human rights across the board including those of women. The law minister said the government was committed to emancipating women and empowering them. He said the government believed no country could achieve real progress without the participation of half of its population in the development process.

Naik said gender mainstreaming was an Islamic concept as the Prophet had advocated equal rights for women. The founder of Pakistan also championed equal rights for women, he said. The minister said the Constitution of Pakistan also guaranteed gender equality, adding the government was working on a number of legislative measures to ensure women’s emancipation and empowerment.

The measures would also help to check various social ills such as women’s harassment in the workplace, maltreatment in jails and police stations, and injustices in inheritance. Naik said the government would also introduce amendments to family laws to protect the rights of women and children in divorce cases.

dailytimes.com.pk