Description of the situation:
The Observatory has been informed by reliable sources of the closure by the local Government of Gilgit-Baltistan of the Association of Global Humanists and Ethics (AGHE-Pakistan), an NGO working on women and children’s issues in Gilgit-Baltistan, Northern Pakistan[1].
According to the information received, on February 25, 2013, AGHE-Pakistan was closed down by the Home Secretary of Gilgit Baltistan with an order to stop all activities, including imparting education to girls, with immediate effect following a letter by the Home Department of Gilgit-Baltistan. The orders regarding the ban on all the activities of AGHE-Pakistan were issued to deputy commissioners and police officers of various districts and not communicated to the organisation itself. The Home Department, which wrote the letter on February 25, 2013, is said to have issued the order under pressure from Muslim extremist groups who threatened AGHE-Pakistan to stop working on women’s rights and girls education. The letter, which bore number SOH-11/2011, stated that AGHE-Pakistan was no longer a registered organisation and required a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the economic division as well as from the Government of Gilgit.
In the past, sectarian and fundamentalist groups publicly denigrated AGHE-Pakistan, labelling it as a foreign organisation which, through education campaigns, was “implementing the agenda of Western countries”. For months, AGHE officials had also been under serious pressure by various government agencies to stop USAID-funded projects “Citizens’ Voice for Effective Legislative Governance” in Gilgit-Baltistan as well as activities carried out with a small grant issued under the USAID and Aurat Foundation’s Gender Equity Program (GEP).
The Observatory condemns the closure of AGHE-Pakistan, which constitutes a dangerous setback to the defence of human rights in Pakistan. The fact that AGHE-Pakistan was declared illegal also contradicts the Constitution of Pakistan that protects the right to freedom of association and international human rights standards.
Actions requested:
The Observatory urges the authorities of Pakistan to:
i. Guarantee the physical and psychological integrity of the AGHE-Pakistan workers and, more generally, of all human rights defenders in Pakistan;
ii. Reinstate AGHE-Pakistan as a valid and legally legitimate organisation;
iii. Conform in any circumstances with the provisions of the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, adopted on December 9, 1998 by the United Nations General Assembly, in particular:
– its Article 1, which states that “everyone has the right, individually or in association with others, to promote the protection and realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms at the national and international levels”;
– its article 5, which states that “everyone has the right, individually and in association with others, at the national and international levels: (a) To meet or assemble peacefully; (b) To form, join and participate in non-governmental organizations, associations or groups; (c) To communicate with non-governmental or intergovernmental organizations.”
– its Article 6 (c) which states that “everyone has the right, individually and in association with others to study, discuss, form and hold opinions on the observance, both in law and in practice, of all human rights and fundamental freedoms and, through these and other appropriate means, to draw public attention to those matters”;
– and its Article 12.2 which states that “the State shall take all necessary measures to ensure the protection by the competent authorities of everyone, individually and in association with others, against any violence, threats, retaliation, de facto or de jure adverse discrimination, pressure or any other arbitrary action as a consequence of his or her legitimate exercise of the rights referred to in the present Declaration”.
iv. Ensure in all circumstances respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with international human rights standards and international instruments ratified by Pakistan.
Addresses:
· His Excellency Raja Pervez Ashraf, Prime Minister of Pakistan, Prime Minister House, Islamabad. Tel no: + 92 519213562 Fax: + 92 51 9221596 E-mail: pspm@pmsectt.gov.pk or nsethi@pmsectt.gov.pk
· His Excellency Asif Ali Zardari, President of Pakistan, President’s Secretariat, Islamabad. Tel: +92 51 9204801/9214171. Fax: +92 51 9207458 Email: publicmail@president.gov.pk
· Mr. Rehman Malik, Minister for Interior, R Block Pak Secretariat, Islamabad. Tel: +92 51 9212026 Fax: +92 51 9202624 E-mail: ministry.interior@gmail.com or interior.complaintcell@gmail.com
· Federal Minister for Human Rights, Ministry of Human Rights, Old US Aid building, Ata Turk Avenue, G-5, Islamabad. Fax: +9251-9204108 Email: sarfaraz_yousuf@yahoo.com
· Dr. Faqir Hussain, Registrar, Supreme Court of Pakistan, Constitution Avenue, Islamabad. Fax: + 92 51 9213452 E-mail: mail@supremecourt.gov.pk
· Mr. Syed Mehdi Shah, Chief Minister of Gilgit Baltistan, Prime Minister secretariat, Gilgit. Telephone +92-5811-920573 Fax: +92 (05811) 50-201 Email: info@gilgitbaltistan.gov.pk
· Ambassador Zamir Akram, Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the United Nations in Geneva, 56, Rue de Moillebeau, Case Postale 434, 1211 Geneva 19, Switzerland. Fax: +41-22-734-8085. Tel: +41-22-749-1930. Email: mission.pakistan@ties.itu.int
Please also write to diplomatic representations of Pakistan in your respective countries.