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Speakers highlight human rights contradictions
By Perwez Abdullah
Karachi
South Asia and Africa have the worst human rights record in the world, but even Europe, which has rather a commendable record overall, falters when it comes to the human rights of “Third World” citizens. This general consensus was reached on Wednesday at a workshop titled, “Human Rights: Universality and Disparity in South Asia, Africa and Europe.” The event was jointly organised by the University of Karachi’s (KU) Area Study Centre for Europe (ASCE) and the Hanns-Seidel Foundation.
Veteran journalist Ghazi Salahuddin was the discussant in the first session, while Zahra Shahid Hussain assumed the role in the second session.
Human rights activist I.A Rehman gave an overview of the UN Declaration on Human Rights and other international agreements that have tried to safeguard human rights in different countries. Rehman pointed out that human rights outfits had to design specific tools for specific groups. These include conventions on the rights of children, laws againt the discrimination of women and labour, etc. “Some countries say that their laws and regulations are better than the UN’s and so they are not bound to accept the latter,” he commented.
Retired Senator Iqbal Haider, who is also the Co-Chairperson of the Human Rights Commission Pakistan (HRCP), spoke at length about human rights issues in Pakistan, and the responses of successive governments. Haider said that it was the right of the people to be governed by their chosen representatives. Citizens also have the right to education, political, economical and ideological freedom, gender rights and the right to live with the basic amenities of life.
Haider deplored the fact that successive governments in Pakistan had a very bleak human records record.
Haider defended “Judicial activism” on the grounds that citizens could not be left “to the whims of the Executive”. He also thought that the democratic system might have flaws but it should be strengthened. “Article 9 of the Constitution defends the rights of the citizens, and the judiciary has the duty to defend these rights if the Executive falters in its duty in this regard,” Haider said.
Assistant Professor at the ASCE, Uzma Shujaat, showcased human rights abuses in Darfur and the EU’s responses. She suggested that the genocide in the region was one of the biggest crises of modern times. “With over two million people dead, the world should have risen to stop it but unfortunately except a few countries that showed half-hearted support, and then receded into the background, the global fraternity has remained aloof from the tragedy. The Arab and Muslim countries are the biggest offenders in the backdrop of their apathy. The Darfur genocide was not on the basis of religion as both sides were Muslims. It is an ethnic strife where Arabs are pitted against Africans. The govt in Khartoum supported the Arabs,” she said.
Political Analyst Lt Gen (Retired) Talat Masood, KU Pakistan Study Centre Director Dr Syed Jaffer Ahmed and ASCE Deputy-Director Syed Imdad Shah also spoke on the occasion.
The News: Thursday, July 23, 2009
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